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SAW  DIEGQ 


WEST   VIRGINIA: 


ITS 


FARMS  AND  FORESTS,  MINES  AND  OIL-WELLS; 


WITH  A   GLIMPSE    OF    ITS    SCENERY,   A  PHOTOGRAPH    OF   ITS 

POPULATION,    AND    AN    EXHIBIT    OF    ITS 

INDUSTRIAL   STATISTICS. 


BY 

J.    R.    DODGE 

OP   THE   U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE. 


PHILADELPHIA:         , 
J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 

1865. 


•Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865,  by 
J.  R.  DODGE, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
District  of  Columbia. 


PREFACE. 


THE  oak  that  graces  the  mountain-slope  has  come 
from  an  acorn  planted  by  an  errant  squirrel.  From  a 
seed  as  small,  dropped  in  a  Kanawha  Yalley  mail-bag  in 
equal  unconsciousness  of  hidden  germ-life,  this  volume 
has  grown,  little  by  little.  Like  the  forest  oak,  its 
growth  has  been  natural,  without  pruning  or  "pinching 
back,"  or  artistic  fashioning  of  any  sort.  The  only  aim 
has  been  to  make  it  true  to  nature  and  to  life,  however 
homely  its  phase. 

A  single  letter  with  a  striking  reference  to  mineral 
resources,  followed  by  other  correspondence,  a  tour  of 
observation  in  behalf  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
exploration  of  State  archives  and  national  census  sche- 
dules, and  free  conferences  with  intelligent  business  men 
of  West  Yirginia,  led  to  the  exhibit  made  in  the  United 
States  Eeport  of  Agriculture  for  1863.  Enterprising 
citizens  of  other  States,  attracted  by  these  resources, 
wished  to  know  more  of  their  character  and  extent.  In 
answer  to  such  demands,  from  all  sections  of  the  North, 
the  author  has  been  induced  to  prepare  this  little  volume, 
as  intervals  of  leisure  afforded  opportunity. 

It  was  a  virgin  territory,  practically  unknown  to 
industrial  writers,  without  records  of  its  natural  wealth 
or  reported  transactions  of  agricultural  or  geographical 

(iii) 


IV  PREFACE. 

societies.  Hence  this  is  but  a  partial  and  cursory  sur- 
vey, preliminary  in  its  nature,  and  by  no  means  exhaust- 
ive of  the  subject.  As  such  it  is  presented,  and  not  as  a 
mature  and  full  exhibit  of  the  natural  resources  and 
industrial  condition  of  West  Virginia. 

To  the  following  persons,  among  many  others,  ac- 
knowledgments for  valuable  information  and  sugges- 
tions are  gratefully  tendered :  Hons.  W.  T.  Willey,  P.  G. 
Van  Winkle,  J.  G.  Blair,  K.  V.  Whaley,  and  C.  D.  Hub- 
bard,  representing  the  State  in  Congress ;  United  States 
District  Attorney,  Benjamin  H.  Smith;  United  States 
Assessor,  A.  G-.  Leonard  ;  Governor,  A.  I.  Boreman ;  Hon. 
John  M.  Phelps,  President  of  the  State  Senate ;  Senators 
Burley,  Carskadon,  Stevenson  and  Young ;  Delegates, 
McGrew,  McWhorter,  Ruffner,  and  Crawford;  Messrs. 
W.  P.  Smith  and  J.  B.  Ford,  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad ;  Messrs.  H.  Hagans,  J.  H.  D.  Debar,  C.  S.  Rich- 
ardson, A.  W.  Campbell,  and  J.  E.  Wharton.  The  favors 
of  others,  however  small,  are  held  in  equal  remembrance. 

J.  R.  D. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  August,  1865. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WEST  VIRGINIA. — CRADLED  IN  CONVULSION. — A  STURDY  RACE. — OLD  JEALOUSIES. — REOR- 
GANIZATION.— NEW  LAWS. — FINANCES. — HER  BOYS  IN  BLUE.  .  .  .  Page  7 

CHAPTER  II. 

ORIGINAL  SETTLEMENT. — WHERE  VIRGINIANS  EMIGRATE. — TOBACCO  AND  THE  BLUE  LAWS. — 
LANDS. — THE  "TOMAHAWK  RIGHT." — HOW  THE  PIONEERS  LIVED. — GETTING  MARRIED. — 
PROGRESS. — POPULATION 23 

CHAPTER  III. 

LOCATION. — VALUE  OP  LANDS. — STOCK  GROWING. — FERTILITY. — NO  WASTE  AREAS. — COMPARI- 
SON WITH  MARYLAND,  MINNESOTA,  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 39 

CHAPTER  IV. 

CLIMATE. —  ALTITUDE. — TEMPERATURE. —  RAIN-FALL. —  SALUBRITY. —  SCENERY.     .          .        54 

CHAPTER  V. 

TOPOGRAPHY  AND  STATISTICS  OF  COUNTIES. —  THE  VALLEY  GROUP 68 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SURVEY  OF  COUNTIES  CONTINUED. —  THE  MOUNTAIN  GROUP 79 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SURVEY   OF   COUNTIES   CONTINUED. —  THE  "PANHANDLE." 87 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

SURVEY   OF   COUNTIES   CONTINUED. —  THE   RIVER  DISTRICT 101 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SURVEY  OF  COUNTIES  CONTINUED. —  THE  KANAWHA  VALLEY 112 

CHAPTER  X. 

SURVEY  OF  COUNTIES  CONTINUED. —  THE  SOUTHERN  GROUP. 123 

CHAPTER  XI. 

SURVEY   OF    COUNTIES    CONTINUED. —  THE    CENTRAL    GROUP 128 

1*  (V) 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

STATISTICS  OP  PRODUCTION.     .  142 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

INTERNAL    IMPROVEMENTS. —  ROADS    AND     TURNPIKES. —  8LACKWATER    NAVIGATION. —  OHIO 
AND  CHESAPEAKE   CANAL. —  BALTIMORE   AND   OHIO   RAILROAD. —  OTHER  RAILROADS.     .      149 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

MINERAL  WEALTH. —  COAL. 160 

CHAPTER  XV. 

IRON.— SALT. —  LIMESTONE. —  OTHER  MINERALS 168 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

PETROLEUM. —  ITS  WIDE  DISTRIBUTION. —  DISCOVERT  IN  WEST  VIRGINIA.          .          .          .     176 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

HOW  ORIGINATED. —  POPULAR  AND  UNPOPULAR  THEORIES 185 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WHERE    FOUND. —  HOW  TO    FIND  IT 192 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

T/SES. —  QUANTITY  USED. 206 

CHAPTER  XX. 

WELL    BORING.,—  OIL    DISTILLING. —  REFINING 213 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  ERA  OF  OIL  WELLS. —  THE  BURNING  SPRINGS  DISTRICT. —  THE  LITTLE    KANAWHA.  .     220 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  HUGHES'  RIVER  REGION.— OIL  RUN  OF  GOOSE   CREEK. —  HORSENECK  AND   cow 
CREEK 229 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  CENTRAL  AND  NORTHERN    OIL  REGION 237 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  GREAT   KANAWHA  OIL  BASIN. —  THE  VALLEYS   OF  THE  GUTANDOTTE   AND   BIG   SANDY.      213 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

PETROLEUM   COMPANIES  OF  WEST  VIRGINIA 260 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PETROLEUM  PROSPECTS 265 


WEST  VIRGINIA 


CHAPTER    I. 


WEST  VIRGINIA.  —  CRADLED  IN  CONVULSION.  —  A  STURDY 
RACE.  —  OLD  JEALOUSIES.  —  REORGANIZATION.  —  NEW 
LAWS.  —  FINANCES.  —  HER  BOYS  IN  BLUE. 


"logic  of  events"  is  but  the  dictum  of  Deity. 
-L  It  snows  how  God  disposes  of  what  man  pro- 
poses. The  "pride"  that  "goeth  before  destruction" 
is  sometimes  only  the  Christian  name  of  the  madness 
inspired  by  "the  gods"  in  their  victims.  The 
humbling  of  the  pride  of  Virginia  secession  was 
largely  wrought,  so  far  as  accomplished  by  human 
means,  by  her  own  people  through  the  agency  of 
her  own  constitution.  As  "  when  a  man's  pride  is 
thoroughly  subdued,  it  is  like  the  sides  of  Mount 
Etna,"  so  the  treasonable  state  sovereignty  eruption 
was  "  terrible  while  it  lasted,  and  the  lava  flowed  ; 
but  when  that  is  passed  and  the  lava  is  turned  into 
soil,  it  grows  vineyards  and  olive  trees  up  to  the 
very  top."  (7) 


8  WEST     VIRGINIA. 

Nor  was  this  political  eruption  —  thus  made  the 
occasion  of  purification  —  a  matter  either  of  surprise 
or  wonder,  when  viewed  in  its  native  character. 
"When  statesmen  degenerate  into  politicians,  and 
the  principle  of  states'  rights  is  prostituted  to  the 
uses  of  treason,  it  is  eminently  fit  and  in  accordance 
with  the  law  of  compensation,  that  the  madness  of 
the  present  hour  should  open  to  patriotism  a  door 
of  escape  from  inequality  and  organized  oppression, 
to  future  industrial  advancement,  political  indepen- 
dence, and  a  superior  civilization. 

The  "  Old  Dominion  "  of  our  fathers,  eldest  in  the 
family  of  States,  and  fairest  in  all  that  constitutes 
the  highest  natural  attractions  of  the- sisterhood,  has 
committed  the  hari  kari,  or  "happy  despatch,"  under 
the  influence  of  the  demon  of  secession  —  is  disem- 
bowelled and  rent  in  twain.  But  she  is  immortal,  and 
while  East  Virginia  writhes  in  penitential  agony, 
"West  Virginia  not  only  lives,  but  is  beginning  to 
put  forth  a  hitherto  unknown  vigor,  and  promises  a 
career  of  glory  and  benefaction,  a  full  maturity  of 
beauty  and  pride,  and  a  name  of  honor  among  the 
most  illustrious  of  States  in  all  coming  time. 

The  new  State  has  had  her  birth  in  the  era  of 
revolution,  and  has  been  baptized  in  blood,  in  the 
name  of  law  and  liberty;  yet  her  most  ardent  aspir- 
ation was  always  for  a  peace  unsullied  by  cowardice 
or  injustice  —  for  an  honorable  diversion  from  the 
"war  path"  to  the  path  of  progress  in  the  arts  of 
industry  —  for  a  higher  and  purer  life,  that  shall 
animate  and  elevate  every  human  being  within  her 
borders,  and  bless,  with  prosperity,  education,  refine- 
ment, and  religion,  myriads  of  happy  homes. 


A   STURDY   RACE.  9 

Other  States  may  boast  of  broad  savannas  that 
bask  in  placid  beauty,  and  soils  of  interminable 
depth  and  richness.  West  Virginia  acknowledges  a 
rough  exterior,  but  claims  for  her  hills  the  adorn- 
ment of  majestic  and  comely  forest  growths ;  for  her 
vales  a  permeable  and  fruitful  soil ;  for  her  rivers  a 
wealth  of  water  power;  for  her  mines  a  heritage 
illimitable,  and  for  her  broad  domain  the  insignia  of 
strength,  enduring  vitality,  and  sturdy  independence 
—  the  proud  characteristics  of  her  people. 

Their  fathers  were  taught  in  a  school  of  manly 
self-reliance,  noble  endurance,  and  intrepid  daring. 
With  Washington  they  risked  the  covert  perils  of  the 
wily  Indian's  arrow,  and  sought  and  founded  homes 
to  be  defended  with  the  constant  rifle,  and  beautified 
with  the  strength  of  the  labor  of  many  years.  The 
sons  of  these  pioneers,  lured  by  the  general  rush  of 
population  to  the  fruitful  prairies,  and  conscious  that 
the  poor  man  was  not  in  the  line  of  promotion 
according  to  feudal  prerogative  obtaining  in  Virginia, 
joined  the  general  throng  that  followed  the  guidance 
of  the  star  of  empire.  Thus  were  many  of  the 
bravest  and  noblest  of  her  children  lost  to  her  fame 
and  her  material  progress.  Thus  were  sylvan  homes 
left  unadorned;  the  sweetest  herbage  scantily  de- 
pastured ;  giant  frames  of  great  ships  in  vain  await- 
ing the  woodman's  axe  by  the  river  side;  the  hill 
sides  ready  to  flow  with  wine ;  and  the  oil  lubricat- 
ing a  passage  to  the  surface  from  the  caverns  beneath; 
while  the  minerals,  in  rich  variety  and  still  richer 
profusion,  offered  in  vain  their  seductive  charms  to 
the  fugacious  proprietor  of  all  this  wealth.  Yet 
with  all  these  drawbacks,  substantial  progress  was 


10  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

made,  so  that  when  this  section  became  a  State, 
it  assumed  at  once  a  strong  and  influential  position 
among  her  sisters. 

The  political  jealousies  between  East  and  West 
Virginia,  and  the  oppressions  and  injustice  of  the 
East,  had  a  very  early  beginning.  In  the  revolution- 
ary period,  Jefferson  complained  that  the  tide-water 
region,  having  but  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and 
five  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  square  miles,  claimed 
as  occupied  Virginia  territory,  and  but  nineteen 
thousand  and  twelve  of  forty-nine  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-one  fighting-men,  possessed 
one-half  the  representation  in  the  Senate,  and  seventy- 
one  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  members  of 
the  House  of  Delegates;  and  objected  that  "these 
nineteen  thousand,  therefore,  living  in  one  part  of 
the  country,  give  law  to  upwards  of  thirty  thousand 
living  in  another,  and  appoint  all  their  chief  officers, 
executive  and  judiciary,"  regarding  the  want  of  four 
members  to  make  a  majority  as  more  than  compen- 
sated practically  by  the  vicinity  of  their  residence  to 
the  seat  of  government. 

ISTot  only  was  there  an  inequality  of  representation, 
but,  in  later  years  at  least,  a  want  of  magnanimity 
and  true  chivalry  on  the  part  of  the  majority ;  which 
hesitated  not  to  legislate  further  inequality — taxing, 
for  instance,  only  nominally  the  negro  property,  of 
which  the  West  had  little,  and  piling  the  burdens 
of  state  upon  Western  interests,  making  them  pay 
pro  rata  for  building  railroads  and  constructing  other 
internal  improvements  in  the  East,  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  recognition  of  the  trans- Alleghanian  territory. 


REOEGANIZATION.  11 

It  would  seem  that  the  East  regarded  that  rich 
domain  of  mines  and  of  forests  much  as  an  over- 
prudent  father  looks  upon  a  son  of  free  and  generous 
impulses,  injudiciously  and  unjustly  curbing  his  ac- 
tions and  thwarting  his  desires.  As  the  youth  at 
last  cuts  loose  from  such  leading  strings,  so  was 
the  auspicious  moment  of  paternal  infidelity  and 
disloyalty  improved ;  and  it  will  he  fortunate  if  the 
progress  of  the  youthful  disenthralled  should  not 
become  slightly  too  fast,  in  obedience  to  the  law  of 
precedents. 

The  story  of  separation  and  organization  as  a  new 
State,  in  the  mode  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  is  briefly  told. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1861,  twenty-four  days  after 
the  adoption  of  secession  by  the  convention  at  Rich- 
mond, delegates  from  twenty-five  counties  met  at 
"Wheeling  and  passed  resolutions  in  condemnation 
of  the  traitors  and  the  treason  of  Richmond,  and 
providing  for  a  convention  of  all  the  counties  adher- 
ing to  the  Union. 

On  the  llth  of  June,  representatives  from  forty 
counties  assembled  at  Wheeling,  on  invitation  to  all 
loyal  men  of  Virginia,  and  declared  independence  of 
the  action  of  the  State  convention,  announced  an  inter- 
regnum in  the  State  government,  and  took  measures 
for  the  establishment  of  a  provisional  government. 

On  July  2d,  the  legislature,  duly  elected,  convened 
at  Wheeling,  and  elected  United  States  Senators, 
passed  a  stay  law,  and  voted  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  the  same  amount 
for  the  operations  of  the  State  government.  October 
24th  the  action  of  the  legislature  was  approved  by 
the  people  in  a  vote  almost  unanimous. 


12  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

A  convention  met  at  Wheeling,  November  26th, 
1861,  and  framed  a  State  constitution,  and  on  the  3d 
of  May,  1862,  that  constitution  was  approved  and 
adopted  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  proposed  State. 
On  the  13th  day  of  May,  the  legislature  of  Virginia 
gave  its  consent  to  the  formation  of  a  new  State 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1862,  the  President 
approved  the  act  of  Congress  for  the  admission  of 
the  State  of  West  Virginia  into  the  Union,  to  com- 
prise the  counties  of  Hancock,  Brooke,  Ohio,  Marshall, 
Wetzel,  Marion,  Monongalia,  Preston,  Taylor,  T}~ler, 
Pleasants,  Ritchie,  Doddridge,  Harrison,  Wood,  Jack- 
eon,  Wirt,  Roane,  Calhoun,  Gilmer,  Barbour,  Tucker, 
Lewis,  Braxton,  Upshur,  Randolph,  Mason,  Putnam, 
Kanawha,  Clay,  Nicholas,  Cabell,  Wayne,  Boone, 
Logan,  Wyoming,  Mercer,  McDowell,  Webster,  Po- 
cahontas,  Fayette,  Raleigh,  Greenbrier,  Monroe, 
Pendleton,  Hardy,  Hampshire,  and  Morgan,  to  which 
have  been  subsequently  added  Berkeley  and  Jeffer- 
son, making  fifty  counties,  including  a  total  area  of 
about  twenty-four  thousand  square  miles.  Provision 
is  also  made  for  the  admission  of  Frederick,  with 
the  consent  of  its  voters. 

This  act  took  effect  in  sixty  days  after  the  procla- 
mation of  the  President  stating  the  fact  of  its  ratifica- 
tion by  the  people,  and  the  adoption  of  the  following 
in  place  of  the  clause  in  the  Virginia  constitution 
respecting  slavery : 

"  The  children  of  slaves  born  within  the  limits  of  this 
State  after  the  fourth  day  of  July,  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty-three,  shall  be  free ;  and  all  slaves  within  the 
said  State  who  shall,  at  the  time  aforesaid,  be  under  the 


STATE    OFFICERS.  13 

age  of  ten  years,  shall  be  free  when  they  arrive  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years;  and  all  slaves  over  ten  and 
under  twenty-one  years  shall  be  free  when  they  arrive 
at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years ;  and  no  slave  shall  be 
permitted  to  come  into  the  State  for  permanent  resi- 
dence therein." 

This  remnant  of  slavery  remained  until  the  third 
day  of  February,  1865.  The  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  abolishing  slavery 
forever,  had  just  been  adopted  by  Congress.  It  had 
been  ratified  the  day  before  by  the  Legislature  of 
"West  Virginia.  Now  it  was  proposed  not  to  await 
the  ratification  by  the  requisite  three-fourths  of  the 
States,  but  to  consummate  the  disenthralment  of 
West  Virginia  at  once.  A  bill  to  that  effect  had 
passed  the  House  of  Delegates  on  the  same  day  of 
the  ratification,  by  a  large  majority;  and  now  the 
Senate,  by  the  decisive  majority  of  seventeen  to  one, 
removed  the  last  obstacle  to  the  free  ingress  of  skilled 
labor,  enterprise  and  capital,  so  much  needed  for  the 
full  development  of  inexhaustible  natural  resources. 
Thus  peacefully  was  legally  buried  that  which  was 
already  regarded  as  essentially  and  utterly  dead. 
Thus  became  the  new  State,  "  without  an  if  or  a  but," 
a  free  State ! 

The  Executive  power  of  the  State  is  vested  in  a 
Governor  who  is  elected  biennially.  The  Secretary 
of  State,  Treasurer,  Auditor  and  Attorney-General, 
are  elected  at  the  same  time  with  the  Governor,  hold- 
ing office  for  the  same  period.  The  fourth  Thursday 
October  is  designated  for  the  election  of  State  and 
County  officers,  and  members  of  the  Legislature.  The 
Governor  receives  a  salary  of  $2000 ;  the  Secretary 
2 


14  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

of  State,  $1300;  Treasurer,  $1400;  Auditor,  $1500; 
Attorney-General,  $1000. 

The  Legislative  power  is  vested  in  a  Senate  and 
House  of  Delegates.  The  former  consists  of  twenty- 
two  members,  elected  for  two  years;  the  latter, 
of  fifty-seven  Delegates,  elected  for  one  year.  The 
sessions  commence  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  January, 
are  annual  and  limited  to  forty-five  days,  unless 
otherwise  ordered  by  two-thirds  of  both  Houses. 
The  pay  of  Senators  and  Delegates  is  $3  per  day, 
and  ten  cents  per  mile  of  travel,  going  and  returning ; 
the  President  of  the  Senate  and  Speaker  of  the 
House,  $5  per  day ;  Clerk  of  the  Senate,  $8 ;  Clerk 
of  the  House,  $9. 

The  Judicial  system  includes  a  Supreme  Court  of 
Appeals,  Circuit  and  Inferior  Courts.  The  former 
consists  of  three  judges,  elected  by  the  people,  to 
hold  office  for  twelve  years,  one  to  retire  every  fourth 
year.  This  court  has  original  jurisdiction  in  cases  of 
habeas  corpus,  mandamus,  and  prohibition ;  appellate 
jurisdiction  in  civil  cases,  involving  pecuniary  values 
exceeding  two  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  costs; 
in  questions  of  land  title  or  boundary,  the  probate 
of  wills,  the  appointment  or  qualification  of  a  personal 
representative,  guardian,  committee  or  curator,  or 
concerning  a  mill,  road  or  ferry,  or  the  right  of  a 
corporation  or  county  to  levy  tolls  or  taxes,  or  in 
cases  involving  freedom  or  the  constitutionality  of 
law,  or  in  criminal  cases  in  which  conviction  for 
felony  or  misdemeanor  has  been  reached  in  a  Circuit 
Court.  It  is  also  invested  with  the  jurisdiction  and 
powers  which  could  have  been  exercised  by  the  Su- 
preme or  District  Courts  of  Virginia  respecting 


THE   STATE   SEAL.  15 

any  suit  or  proceeding  in  "West  Virginia.  Two  ses- 
sions of  this  Court  are  held  yearly  at  Wheeling,  be- 
ginning respectively  on  the  second  Thursday  of 
January,  and  the  second  Thursday  of  July. 

First  District. — Hancock,  Brooke,  Ohio,  and  Mar- 
shall Counties. 

Second  District. — Monongalia,  Preston,  Tucker,  and 
Taylor  Counties. 

Third  District. — Marion,  Harrison,  and  Barbour 
Counties. 

Fourth  District. — Wetzel,  Tyler,  Pleasants,  Ritchie, 
Doddridge,  and  Gilmer  Counties. 

Fifth  District. — Randolph,  Upshur,  Lewis,  Braxton, 
Webster,  and  Nicholas  Counties. 

Sixth  District. — Wood,  Wirt,  Calhoun,  Roane,  Jack- 
son, and  Clay  Counties. 

Seventh  District. — Kanawha,  Mason,  Putnam,  and 
Fayette  Counties. 

Eighth  District. —  Cabell,  Wayne,  Boone,  Logan, 
Wyoming,  and  Raleigh  Counties. 

Ninth  District. — Pocahontas,  Greenhrier,  Monroe, 
Mercer,  and  McDowell  Counties. 

Tenth  District. — Pendleton,  Hampshire,  Hardy,  and 
Morgan  Counties. 

Eleventh  District. — Frederick,  Berkeley,  and  Jeffer- 
son Counties. 

The  seal  of  the  State  bears  the  legend,  "  State  of 
West  Virginia,"  with  the  motto,  "  Montani  semper 
liberi,"  ("Mountaineers  always  free,")  in  the  circum- 
ference. In  the  centre  is  a  rock,  over  which  ivy  is 
twined,  emblematic  of  stability  and  continuance.  On 
the  face  is  inscribed,  as  with  the  point  of  a  diamond, 
the  date,  "  June  20, 1863."  On  the  right  of  the  rock 


16  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

stands  the  farmer-hunter,  as  denoted  by  the  primitive 
hunting-shirt — the  pioneer  blended  in  the  citizen — • 
his  right  arm  resting  on  plough-handles,  his  left  sup- 
porting an  axe ;  at  his  right  a  cornstalk  and  sheaf  of 
wheat.  On  the  left  of  the  rock  is  a  miner,  with  oil- 
barrels  and  fragments  of  minerals  at  his  feet,  and 
flanked  by  an  anvil  and  sledge-hammer.  In  front  of 
the  rock  two  rifles,  crossed,  surmounted  at  the  place  of 
contact  by  the  cap  of  Liberty,  ready  at  a  moment's 
warning  to  be  taken  up  for  the  maintenance  of  that 
freedom  and  independence  which  they  have  helped 
to  win. 

The  present  State  officers  are  as  follows :  Gover- 
nor, A.  J.  Boreman ;  Secretary  of  State,  Granville 

D.  Hall ;  Treasurer,  Campbell  Tarr ;  Auditor,  Joseph 
McWhorter ;  Attorney-General,  Ephraim  B.  Hall. 

The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Appeals  are : 

E.  L.  Berkshire,  James  H.  Brown,  and  William  A. 
Harrison.     Salary,  $2000  each.     Clerk,  Sylvanus  W. 
Hall ;  salary,  $1000  and  fees. 

The  Judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  are :  First  Dis- 
trict, Elbert  II.  Hall,  Moundville ;  Second  District, 
John  A.  Dille,  Kingwood ;  Third  District,  Thomas 
"W.  Harrison,  Clarksburg;  Fourth  District,  Chap- 
man J.  Stuart,  "West  Union ;  Fifth  District,  Robert 
Irvine,  "Weston ;  Sixth  District,  James  Loomis,  Park- 
ersburg ;  Seventh  District,  Daniel  Polsley,  Mason 
County ;  Eighth  District,  Henry  J.  Samuels,  Guyan- 
dotte.  The  Mnth,  Tenth  and  Eleventh  Districts, 
are  at  present  vacant.  John  "W.  Kennedy,  of  Berke- 
ley Springs,  presided  in  the  Tenth,  but  was  removed 
by  the  last  legislature. 

The  first  session  of  the  Legislature,  in  1863,  in  the 


LAWS   ENACTED.  17 

midst  of  civil  war,  in  the  peculiar  circumstances 
attending  the  birth  of  the  new  State,  involved  an 
immense  amount  of  labor,  requiring  wisdom,  energy, 
and  boldness.  From  a  few  days'  observation  of  this 
Legislature,  the  earnestness,  loyalty,  intelligence,  and 
practical  wisdom  of  the  great  majority  of  its  members 
were  strikingly  apparent  for  a  body  suddenly  thrown 
together  by  the  convulsions  of  a  revolution. 

The  laws  of  this  session  are  comprised  in  a  volume 
of  more  than  three  hundred  pages,  and  considerable 
additional  legislation  has  been  perfected  in  the  two 
subsequent  sessions. 

One  of  the  first  enactments  was  a  law  appropriating 
fifty  thousand  dollars  for  procuring  arms  and  muni- 
tions of  war. 

Early  in  the  first  session  provision  was  made  for 
the  prosecution  and  trial  of  colored  persons  charged 
with  crime,  in  the  same  mode,  and  with  the  same 
punishment,  upon  conviction,  as  in  the  case  of  whites. 

An  act  "to  prevent  the  encouragement  of  invasions 
and  insurrections  "  visited  with  fine  and  imprison- 
ment any  advocacy  or  justification  of  armed  rebellion, 
by  public  speaking,  printing,  or  writing. 

Early  action  was  taken  to  secure  the  benefit  of  the 
national  provision  for  industrial  colleges.  The  grant 
for  this  State  amounts  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand acres.  The  fund  realized  is  required  to  be  in- 
vested in  United  States  stocks,  the  interest  only  to  be 
used,  no  portion  of  which  may  be  expended  upon 
buildings ;  and  the  State  is  made  responsible  for  the 
loss  of  any  portion  of  the  fund. 

In  nothing  is  the  spirit  of  improvement,  which  has 
taken  possession  of  the  new  State,  more  obvious,  than 

2* 


18  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

in  the  school  system  adopted.  The  act  contemplates 
the  instruction  of  "  all  the  youth  in  the  State,  in  such 
fundamental  branches  of  learning  as  are  indispensa- 
ble to.  the  proper  discharge  of  their  social  and  civil 
duties."  A  board  of  education  is  provided  for  each 
township,  fully  empowered  to  act  for  the  highest 
interests  of  the  schools,  and  required  to  furnish  facili- 
ties for  a  full  course  of  common  English  education ; 
and  they  may  call  a  township  meeting  for  an  authori- 
zation of  a  High  School,  when  the  interests  of  edu- 
cation in  their  district  seem  to  demand  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  an  institution.  Schools  are  also 
provided  for  colored  children.  A  State  superinten- 
dent is  placed  at  the  head  of  the  system,  with  a 
salary  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  County  super- 
intendencies  are  likewise  created.  Five  grades  of 
teachers'  certificates  are  made  by  the  county  superin- 
tendents in  the  examination  of  teachers,  but  the 
lowest  grade  can  never  be  granted  to  the  same  person 
a  second  time,  and  three  No.  1  certificates  entitle 
a  teacher  to  a  professional  certificate,  good  for  life, 
except  in  case  of  proven  immorality  or  disloyalty. 
Provision  is  made  for  a  building  fund,  land  may  be 
condemned  for  a  site,  and  money  may  be  borrowed 
for  building  purposes  upon  the  credit  of  the  fund. 
The  constitution  provides  that  the  school  fund  shall 
be  replenished  from  proceeds  of  forfeited,  delinquent, 
and  unappropriated  lands ;  grants  and  bequests  to  the 
State  for  educational  or  unspecified  purposes;  the 
State's  share  of  the  Literary  Fund  of  Virginia ;  the 
proceeds  of  escheated  estates  or  those  of  persons 
dying  without  an  heir ;  proceeds  of  money  paid  as 
exemption  from  military  duty;  and  such  sums  as 


CORPORATE    COMPANIES.  19 

may  be  from  time  to  time  appropriated  by  the  Legis- 
lature. The  interest  of  th'is  fund  only  can  be  ex- 
pended, and  any  unexpended  balance,  at  the  end  of 
a  fiscal  year,  must  be  added  to  the  principal. 

This  law,  as  appears  from  the  report  of  W.  K. 
White,  the  Superintendent  of  Free  Schools,  is  going 
into  operation  as  rapidly  as  circumstances  will  per- 
mit. Enrolments  of  children  have  been  made  in 
seventeen  counties,  the  aggregate  number  enrolled 
being  forty-seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-five.  Twenty-five  counties  have  elected 
county  superintendents.  "  The  old  regime,"  says 
the  superintendent,  "  left  us  a  legacy  of  dilapidated 
buildings,  incompetent  teachers,  and  artificial  modes 
of  instruction.  There  are  some  noble  exceptions, 
but  the  general  aspect  of  school  affairs,  as  hitherto 
presented,  is  deplorable  in  the  extreme."  One  of 
the  first  acts  of  this  officer,  indicative  of  improve- 
ments to  be  inaugurated,  was  the  distribution  to 
county  superintendents  of  copies  of  "Barnard's 
School  Architecture."  He  suggests  the  necessity 
of  establishing  one  or  more  State  "  normal  schools" 
for  the  education  of  teachers,  and  urges  legislators 
to  "  see  that  the  republic  receive  no  detriment  from 
incompetent  teachers." 

A  general  law  authorizing  the  formation  of  corpo- 
rations, applies  to  associations  for  manufacturing, 
mining,  insuring,  for  education  or  benevolence,  and 
for  other  purposes,  exclusive  of  banks  of  circulation, 
companies  for  internal  improvement,  or  for  the  pur- 
chase of  lands  for  re-selling  at  a  profit.  The  capital 
may  not  exceed  one  million  dollars;  not  less  than 


20  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

five  directors  are  required ;  the  existence  of  the  cor- 
poration is  limited  to  twenty  years,  except  in  the 
case  of  educational  or  benevolent  associations ;  no 
officer  or  director  may  act  as  a  proxy ;  the  company 
must  organize  in  six  months  after  obtaining  a  charter, 
and  is  dissolved  if  suspended  for  two  years ;  and  the 
legislature  reserves  the  right  to  alter  or  amend  the 
charter.  The  law  is  very  full  in  its  provisions,  em- 
bracing sixty-six  sections,  with  several  subsequent 
acts  in  amendment  of  the  original. 

The  finances  of  the  State  are  highly  creditable  to 
its  government.  Like  a  child  deserted  of  its  natu- 
ral protector,  the  young  dominion  stood  forth  self- 
reliant,  and  bravely  set  up  business  upon  the  most 
scanty  patrimony,  unwillingly  left  by  the  fugacious 
"  governor." 

The  fiscal  year  ends  September  30.  The  following 
are  the  sources  and  amount  of  income  received  during 
the  year  ending  in  September  last : 

From  the  Commonwealth  of  Yirginia,  .  §45,771  46 
"  redemption  of  lands,  .  .  701  21 
"  court  and  military  fines,  .  .  1,177  65 
"  miscellaneous  sources,  .  .  1,064  95 
"  notarial  seals,  ....  297  32 
f(  railroad,  turnpike,  and  express  com- 
panies, ....  436  98 
"  deeds,  seals,  etc.,  .  .  .  3,328  80 
"  licenses,  ....  16,761  35 
"  banks  and  insurance  companies,  .  30,848  26 
"  taxes, 172,908  50 


Total,      ....        $273,296  48 
Of  the  taxes  received,  (from  collections  made  only 


SOLDIERS   OF   WEST   VIRGINIA.  21 

in  twenty-five  counties,)  $132,864.03  were  for  taxes 
levied  for  the  fiscal  year. 

The  present  condition  of  the  Treasury  is  thus 
shown : 

Balance  in  Treasury,  September  30,  1863,   .  $138,659  46 
Eeceipts  for  the  year  ending  September  30, 

1864,  .    '  .  .  .    273,296  48 

Total  receipts,     ....  $411,955  94 
Disbursements  during  fiscal  year,  .  232,926  10 

Balance  in  Treasury,  October  1,  1864,  .  $179,029  84 
Eeceipts  from  October  1, 1864,  to  January  1, 

1865, 144,553  54 

Aggregate,  ....  $323,583  38 

Disbursements    from   October   1,    1864,   to 

January,  1,  1865,     ....      26,372  51 

Balance  in  Treasury,  January  1,  1865,  .  8297,210  87 

The  Governor  states  in  his  annual  message,  that 
he  had  paid,  for  expenses  of  organizing  a  militia 
force  to  protect  the  border,  from  money  furnished 
on  his  own  checks  by  the  banks,  $23,907.06,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  appropriation  for  that  object. 

The  report  of  the  Adjutant-General  shows  that 
twenty-six  thousand  five  hundred  and  forty  soldiers 
have  been  furnished  to  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  from  an  enrollment  of  thirty-three  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-four  men.  If  any  State 
can  show  a  better  military  record,  it  can  only  be 
done  by  exhibiting  the  entire  arms-bearing  popula- 
tion under  arms,  and  marching  to  the  music  of  the 
Union !  Governor  Boreman  properly  says  of  them  : 


22  WEST   VIKGINIA. 

"  They  have  evinced  a  bravery  and  soldierly  bearing 
that  is  alike  creditable  to  them  and  honorable  to  the 
State.  Led  on  by  our  own  noble  officers,  in  imme- 
diate command,  they  have  endured  the  hardships 
and  privations  of  active  service  without  complaint ; 
have  eagerly  sought  the  enemy,  and,  wherever  found, 
they  have  assaulted  him  with  an  intelligence,  deter- 
mination and  bold  impetuosity,  that  have  not  been 
surpassed  by  any  troops  in  the  history  of  the  war, 
and  have  resulted  in  their  triumph  on  many  a  hard- 
fought  field." 

By  an  act  of  Congress,  the  provisions  of  the  land 
grant  act  for  colleges  of  agriculture  and  the  me- 
chanic arts  has  been  extended  to  "West  Virginia,  by 
which  scrip  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres 
of  public  lands  is  secured  to  the  State.  The  Legisla- 
ture has  already  accepted  the  trust. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ORIGINAL  SETTLEMENT. — WHERE  VIRGINIANS  EMIGRATE. 

TOBACCO    AND    THE    BLUE    LAWS. LANDS. THE 

"TOMAHAWK  RIGHT." — HOW  THE  PIONEERS  LIVED. — 
GETTING  MARRIED PROGRESS. POPULATION. 

O  ETTLEMENTS  began  to  extend  across  the  moun- 
^-J  tains  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  Localities  in  Greenbrier  and  Berkeley, 
and  other  counties,  were  settled  before  its  close. 
Virginia,  in  1781,  had  already  a  population  of  five 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  thousand  six  hundred  and 
fourteen  —  almost  double  the  present  population  of 
West  Virginia.  It  was  rapidly  increasing,  doubling 
its  population  in  twenty-seven  years;  this  rate  of 
increase  having  long  existed  with  great  regularity, 
Jefferson,  assuming  the  same  ratio  of  advance,  pre- 
dicted the  attainment  of  a  population  of  four  million 
five  hundred  and  forty  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twelve  in  1863.  This  he  regarded  as  a  "  competent 
population,"  which  would  be  seventy-three  to  the 
square  mile,  and  less  than  the  present  population  of 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York, 
and  New  Jersey,  and  equal  to  that  of  Maryland.  In 
1790  the  population  was  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighteen,  verifying 
Jefferson's  calculations.  In  1808  it  should  have  been 

(23) 


24  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

one  million  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand 
two  hundred  and  twenty-eight ;  it  was  actually  but 
one  million  sixty-five  thousand  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  in  1820,  and  in  1860  it  was  one  million 
five  hundred  and  ninety-six  thousand  one  hundred 
and  eighteen,  little  more  than  one-third  of  Jeffer- 
son's assumed  population. 

This  calculation  was  by  no  means  unreasonable. 
If  Virginia  had  continued  to  be  the  most  densely 
populated  State  in  the  Union,  its  population  would, 
in  1860,  have  been  nine  million  six  hundred  and 
eighty-three  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-six. 
Nor  is  it  due  to  superior  natural  resources  that  a  half 
dozen  other  States  have  a  denser  population  than  Jef- 
ferson expected  for  his  native  State,  for  Virginia  ex- 
ceeds them  all  in  natural  wealth,  and  stands  upon 
an  equality  with  the  most  favored  in  point  of  climate. 

It  is  fair,  then,  to  ask,  why  has  not  "West  Virginia 
been  peopled?  When  the  last  census  was  taken, 
there  were  found  three  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  nine  inhabitants  of  other 
States  born  in  Virginia.  How  many,  in  the  past, 
had  died  away  from  their  native  soil,  and  how  many 
children  of  these  and  of  living  Virginians  are  now 
aiding  to  swell  the  population  of  other  States,  cannot 
be  known ;  were  it  exhibited,  it  might  show  the  pre- 
diction of  Jefferson  to  be  an  approach  either  to  pro- 
phetic accuracy  or  exact  mathematical  calculation. 
It  may  be  said  with  some  truth  that  the  superior 
facility  for  getting  prairie  lands  into  cultivation  in 
regions  farther  west  has  drawn  emigrants  over  the 
summits  and  down  the  western  slopes  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  The  swinging  of  the  woodman's  axe  and 


CAUSES   OP   EMIGRATION.  25 

the  climbing  of  hills  may  have  been  distasteful ;  and 
the  deep  river  bottoms  and  broad  alluvial  plains  may 
have  had  their  attractions,  despite  the  discomfort  of 
chills  and  'fever  and  the  annoyance  of  mud  and 
mosquitoes. 

A  second  reason  may  truthfully  be  given  in  the 
evident  fact  that  this  region  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
special  enterprises,  both  mineral  and  agricultural, 
involving  either  capital  or  association,  or  both,  such 
as  coal-mining,  iron-working,  salt-making,  oil-work- 
ing, wine-making,  fruit-growing,  dairying,  and  sheep 
husbandry;  and  hence  its  development  has  been 
retarded. 

But  the  most  potent  cause  of  delayed  development 
after  all,  as  a  matter  of  fact  which  cannot  be  ignored 
or  refuted,  is  the  instinctive  feeling  in  all  unpreju- 
diced minds  that  free  labor  is  more  profitable  and 
honorable  to  all  living  upon  its  product  than  servile — 
yielding  more  comely  social  results  and  sweeter  moral 
fruits ;  that  it  is  more  conducive  to  the  general  health 
and  happiness,  and  more  productive  of  true  mental 
culture  and  general  intelligence ;  and  hence  that  its 
associations  and  consequences,  in  the  distant  future, 
are  infinitely  more  desirable  surroundings  to  that 
posterity  for  which  it  is  the  business  of  life  to 
provide. 

'Nor  are  Virginians,  upon  this  point,  practically 
unbelieving.  "Whatever  of  prejudice,  BO  naturally 
begotten,  inbred  and  instilled  by  habit  and  education, 
may  have  swayed  them,  the  suggestive  fact  remains 
that  more  of  them  have  sought  homes  in  the  free 
than  in  the  slave  States.  In  opposition  to  the  power- 
ful control  of  habit  and  early  association  and  inculca- 
3 


26 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


tion,  and  ofttimes  even  in  apparent  violence  to  ex- 
pressed opinions,  humanity  and  self-preservation 
have  instinctively  asserted  their  power,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following  figures,  which  designate  the 
States  in  which  persons  born  in  Virginia  were  living 
in  I860: 


SLAVE. 

FREE. 

Alabama,   .     .     . 

7,598 

California,  .     .     . 

5,157 

Arkansas,  .     .     . 

6,484 

Connecticut,  .     . 

302 

Delaware,  .     .     . 

171 

Illinois,       .     .     . 

32,978 

Florida,      .     .     . 

654 

Indiana,      .     .     . 

36,848 

Georgia,     .     .     . 

5,275 

Iowa,     .... 

17,944 

Kentucky, 

45,310 

Kansas,      .     .     . 

3,487 

Louisiana,       .     . 

2,986 

Maine,   .... 

116 

Maryland,       .     . 

7,560 

Massachusetts,   . 

1,391 

Mississippi, 

6,897 

Michigan,  .     .     . 

2,176 

Missouri,    .     .     . 

53,957 

Minnesota,      .     . 

849 

North  Carolina,  . 

9,899 

New  Hampshire, 

71 

South  Carolina,  . 

1,117 

New  Jersey,  . 

880 

Tennessee,      .     . 

36,647 

New  York,     .     . 

3,650 

Texas,  .... 

9,081 

Ohio,     .... 

75,874 

Oregon.      .     .     . 

1.273 

Pennsylvania,     . 

11,026 

Rhode  Island,     . 

138 

Vermont,   .     . 

30 

Wisconsin,      .     . 

1.983 

Total,      .     . 

193,606 

Total,    .     .     . 

196,173 

This  emigration  would  naturally  be  to  Kentucky 
and  Missouri.  Those  States  include  ninety-nine 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  persons  from 
Virginia;  and  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Iowa, 
extending  precisely  the  same  distance  west,  contain, 
almost  exclusively  in  their  southern  portion,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-three  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty- 
four  of  this  population.  This  would  make  the  pro- 


ORIGINAL    POPULATION-.  27 

portion,  in  the  emigration  directly  westward,  to  free 
and  to  slave  territory,  as  five  to  three. 

Silently  but  continually,  this  practical  expression 
of  the  superiority  of  voluntary  labor  in  forming  the 
wealth  and  morals  of  a  nation  has  been  going  on, 
while  a  few  ambitious  votaries  of  wrong  were  mad- 
dening for  a  career  of  ruin,  of  which  Jefferson  had 
some  premonition  when  he  wrote  as  follows  :  "  And 
can  the  liberties  of  a  nation  be  thought  secure  when 
we  have  removed  their  only  firm  basis,  a  conviction 
in  the  minds  of  the  people  that  these  liberties  are  the 
gift  of  God  ?  That  they  are  not  to  be  violated  but 
with  his  wrath  ?  Indeed,  I  tremble  for  my  country 
when  I  reflect  that  God  is  just;  that  his  justice  can- 
not sleep  forever ;  that  considering  numbers,  nature, 
and  natural  means  only,  a  revolution  of  the  wheel 
of  fortune,  an  exchange  of  situation  is  among  possible 
events  —  that  it  may  become  probable  by  supernatural 
interference.  The  Almighty  has  no  attribute  which 
can  take  sides  with  us  in  such  a  contest." 

Of  the  material  composing  the  original  population, 
J.  H.  Diss  Debar,  Commissioner  of  Immigration  for 
West  Virginia,  thus  writes : 

"  The  first  settlers  of  our  territory  came  principally 
from  Eastern  Virginia,  and  they  and  their  descendants 
constitute  a  majority  of  our  present  population.  They 
are  chiefly  of  English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  descent,  sparsely 
intermixed  with  Pennsylvania-German  blood,  and,  as  a 
whole,  form  one  of  the  most  interesting  communities  of 
the  United  States.  Native  tact  and  sagacity,  urbanity, 
hospitality,  and  self-esteem,  are  among  their  leading 
characteristics ;  and,  although  not  remarkable  for  enter- 
prise and  public  spirit,  our  people  evince  in  their  business 
transactions  a  degree  of  shrewdness  and  judgment,  which 
goes  far  towards  compensating  their  lack  of  intellectual 
opportunities." 


28  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

The  following  quaint  passage  from  a  history  of 
Virginia  published  in  London  in  1722,  doubtless  pre- 
sents a  not  untruthful  picture  of  the  early  settlers 
among  those  forest  hills. 

"  They  live  in  so  happy  a  climate,  and  have  so  fertile 
a  soil,  that  nobody  is  poor  enough  to  beg,  though  they 
have  abundance  of  people  that  are  lazy  enough  to  desire 
it.  I  remember  the  time,  when  five  pounds  was  left  by 
a  charitable  testator,  to  the  poor  of  the  parish  we  lived 
in,  and  it  lay  nine  years  before  the  executors  could  find 
one  poor  enough  to  accept  of  this  legacy ;  but  at  last  it 
was  given  to  an  old  woman." 

Simple  and  unostentatious  as  are  the  dwellers  of 
these  forest  valleys,  the  course  of  time  and  surround- 
ing influences  have  changed  in  some  respects  the 
manners  of  the  early  settlers,  of  the  era  when  a  fond 
father  was  fined  two  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  for 
refusing  to  have  his  child  baptised  by  a  lawful  minis- 
ter ;  when  a  hog  thief  (for  that  disreputable  charac- 
ter exists  in  every  civilized  community)  was  amerced 
to  the  amount  of  one  thousand  pounds  (of  tobacco) ; 
and  when  a  woman,  convicted  of  slander,  was  pun- 
ished by  ducking,  as  many  times  as  the  tobacco  fine 
assessed  upon  her  husband  (and  remitted  if  the  fra- 
grant weed  was  produced  as  an  atonement)  could  be 
divided  by  five  hundred  pounds.  In  religious  tolera- 
tion the  change  has  been  equally  marked,  from  the 
time  when  a  ship  master  incurred  the  forfeit  of  five 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  for  landing  a  Quaker 
immigrant  upon  Virginia  shores. 

The  "West  Virginian  is  still  a  lover  of  the  solitudes 
of  the  forest,  and  of  the  hunter's  invigorating  sport ; 
he  cultivates  a  patch  of  fertile  Virginia  soil  sufficient 


CHEAPNESS    OP   LANDS.  29 

to  supply  the  largest  physical  wants  of  a  growing 
household,  and  to  leave  an  ample  store  for  a  rough 
but  generous  hospitality  ;  and  he  lives  an  indepen- 
dent and  contented  life,  little  envious  of  the  favors 
of  fortune,  repining  not  for  the  mere  refinements  of 
life,  and  enduring  with  little  murmuring  the  priva- 
tions of  schools  and  the  Sabbath  day's  journey  to 
church. 

The  pure  air  of  the  hills,  the  long  rambles  in  the 
forest  for  venison  and  turkeys,  and  the  varied  labor 
upon  a  farm  just  redeemed  from  the  broken  forest, 
give  him  a  ruddy  cheek,  an  elastic  step,  and  a  vigor- 
ous appetite.  In  the  house  the  same  evidence  of 
health  and  vigor  appears,  not  less  in  the  rosy  wife  in 
homespun  attire  of  her  own  manufacture,  than  in  the 
sturdiness  and  strength  of  a  bevy  of  boys  and  girls 
who  make  the  cabin  ring  with  the  mirth  and  music 
of  their  merry  activities. 

Land  was  the  inducement  to  western  emigration, 
in  the  past  as  well  as  the  present  century.  That 
which  is  now  selling  at  fifty,  one  hundred,  or  two 
hundred  dollars  per  acre,  for  its  petroleum,  coal,  or 
other  mineral,  was  obtained  by  the  simple  act  of 
settlement.  A  cabin  of  a  single  room,  and  a  corn- 
field just  sufficient  to  supplement  the  venison  and 
the  bear  meat  in  the  larder  of  the  family,  entitled  the 
settler  to  four  hundred  acres,  with  a  pre-emption 
right  to  one  thousand  acres  adjoining,  to  be  secured 
by  land  warrant.  Certificates  of  settlement  rights, 
with  surveyor's  plot,  were  filed  in  the  State  land 
office ;  and  if  no  adverse  caveat  was  filed,  a  patent 
was  issued. 

Another  right — the  "tomahawk  right" — secured 
3* 


30  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

land  titles  by  a  simpler  and  easier  mode.  It  con- 
sisted in  deadening  a  few  trees  for  a  prospective 
clearing,  and  cutting  the  initials  of  the  claimant  upon 
the  bark  of  some  of  them.  These  claims  were  not 
held  to  be  valid,  but  were  often  bought  and  sold,  the 
purchaser  thus  propitiating  troublesome  claimants. 
Some  of  the  settlers,  however,  more  resolute  and  bel- 
licose, ignored  the  tomahawk  improvement,  and  ad- 
ministered physical  punishment  in  return  for  con- 
tinued annoyance.  So  the  tomahawk  right  yielded 
to  the  right  of  the  strongest. 

Hardships  were  often  encountered  by  those  early 
settlers.  The  usual  course  was  to  leave  the  more 
dependent  of  the  family  behind,  while  the  pioneers 
commenced  a  settlement  in  early  spring.  Others, 
less  cautious,  or  with  smaller  families,  endured  to- 
gether the  excitements  and  labors  and  discomforts  of 
pioneer  life,  starting  with  as  full  a  commissariat  as 
possible.  Sometimes  their  flour,  or  corn-meal  more 
usually,  was  exhausted  before  corn  could  be  ripened. 
In  such  cases  vegetable  diet  was  dispensed  with  for 
weeks  together.  Lean  venison  and  the  breast  of  wild 
turkeys  then  became  bread,  while  the  flesh  of  the 
bear  answered  for  meat.  The  advent  of  roasting  ears 
was  a  day  of  jubilee,  and  the  coming  of  johnny-cakes 
the  consummation  of  a  summer's  labor. 

In  surveying  these  allotments  for  farms,  the  divi- 
sion lines  usually  followed  the  tops  of  ridges  and  the 
course  of  streams  of  water ;  and  the  house  was  built 
on  low  land,  to  which  a  large  portion  of  the  farm  in- 
clined, so  that  the  gathering  in  of  the  crops,  always 
a  grave  consideration  in  farm  economy,  became 
more  than  ever  a  matter  of  gravity.  "Everything 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   SETTLERS.  31 

comes  to  the  house  down  the  hill,"  they  were  wont 
to  boast. 

The  settlers,  many  of  whom  had  come  from  the 
poorer  soil  of  lower  Maryland  and  Virginia,  placed 
no  very  high  estimate  of  value  upon  their  lands,  sup- 
posing a  few  years  of  culture  (and  carelessness)  would 
destroy  their  productiveness.  And  they  were  accus- 
tomed, from  their  previous  experience,  to  designate 
a  certain  field  as  good  for  so  many  crops,  and  another 
sufficient  for  a  certain  specified  number.  The  soil, 
however,  was  found  to  exceed  their  calculations. 

Self-reliance,  ingenuity,  and  determined  resistance 
to  obstacles,  resulted  from  this  state  of  society.  A  good 
degree  of  mechanical  genius  was  developed.  Results 
properly  deemed  astonishing,  in  view  of  the  few  rude 
tools  employed,  were  frequently  attained.  Doddridge, 
in  his  notes  of  the  early  settlement  of  Northwestern 
Virginia,  says  that  "their  ploughs,  harrows,  with 
wooden  teeth,  and  sleds,  were  in  many  instances 
well  made.  Their  cooper's  ware,  which  compre- 
hended everything  for  holding  milk  and  water,  was 
generally  pretty  well  executed.  The  cedar-ware,  by 
having  alternately  a  white  and  red  stave,  was  then 
thought  beautiful;  many  of  their  puncheon  floors 
were  very  neat,  their  joints  close,  and  the  tops  even 
and  smooth.  •  Their  looms,  although  heavy,  did  very 
well."  He  further  says : 

"  The  hominy  block  and  hand  mills  were  in  use  in  most 
of  our  houses.  The  first  was  made  of  a  large  block  of 
wood  about  three  feet  long,  with  an  excavation  burned  in 
one  end,  wide  at  the  top  and  narrow  at  the  bottom,  so 
that  the  action  of  the  pestle  on  the  bottom  threw  the 
corn  up  to  the  sides  towards  the  top  of  it,  whence  it  con- 


32  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

tinually  fell  down  into  the  centre.  In  consequence  of 
this  movement,  the  whole  mass  of  the  grain  was  pretty 
equally  subjected  to  the  strokes  of  the  pestle.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year,  when  the  Indian  corn  was  soft,  the  block 
and  pestle  did  very  well  for  making  meal  for  johnny-cake 
and  mush,  but  were  rather  slow  when  the  corn  became 
hard. 

"  The  sweep  was  sometimes  used  to  lessen  the  toil  of 
pounding  grain  into  meal.  *  *  *  In  the  Greenbrier 
county,  where  they  had  a  number  of  saltpetre  coves,  the 
first  settlers  made  excellent  gunpowder  by  the  means  of 
those  sweeps  and  mortars. 

"A  machine  still  more  simple  than  the  mortar  and 
pestle,  was  used  for  making  meal,  while  the  corn  was  too 
soft  to  be  beaten ;  it  was  called  a  '  grater.'  This  was  a 
half  circular  piece  of  tin,  perforated  with  a  punch  from 
the  concave  side,  and  nailed  by  its  edges  to  a  block  of 
wood.  The  ears  of  corn  were  rubbed  on  the  rough  edges 
of  the  holes,  while  the  meal  fell  through  them  on  the 
board  or  block  to  which  the  grater  was  nailed,  which, 
being  in  a  slanting  direction,  discharged  the  meal  into 
a  cloth  or  bowl  placed  for  its  reception. 

"  The  hand-mill  was  better  than  the  mortar.  It  was 
made  of  two  circular  stones,  the  lowest  of  which  wa.s 
called  the  bed  stone,  the  upper  one  the  runner.  These 
were  placed  in  a  hoop,  with  a  spout  for  discharging  the 
meal.  A  staff  was  let  into  a  hole  in  the  upper  surface  of 
the  runner,  near  the  outer  edge,  and  its  upper  end 
through  a  hole  in  a  board  fastened  to  a  joist  above,  so 
that  two  persons  could  be  employed  in  turning  the  mill 
at  the  same  time.  The  grain  was  put  into  the  opening 
in  the  runner  by  hand. 

"  Our  first  water-mills  were  of  that  description  denomi- 
nated tub-mills.  It  consists  of  a  perpendicular  shaft,  to 
the  lower  end  of  which  a  horizontal  wheel  of  about  four 
or  five  feet  in  diameter  is  attached ;  the  upper  end  passes 
through  the  bed-stone,  and  carries  the  runner  after  the 
manner  of  a  trundlehead.  These  mills  were  built  with 
very  little  expense,  and  many  of  them  answered  the  pur- 
pose very  well.  Instead  of  bolting  cloths,  sifters  were  in 
general  use.  They  were  made  of  deerskins,  in  the  state 
of  parchment,  stretched  over  a  hoop  and  perforated  with 
a  hot  wire. 


SOCIAL   CUSTOMS.  33 

"  Our  clothing  was  all  of  domestic  manufacture.  We 
had  no  other  resource  for  clothing,  and  this  indeed  was 
a  poor  one.  The  crops  of  flax  often  failed,  and  the  sheep 
were  destroyed  by  the  wolves.  Linsey,  which  is  made 
of  flax  and  wool  —  the  former  the  chain,  the  latter  the 
filling  —  was  the  warmest  and  most  substantial  cloth  we 
could  make.  Almost  every  house  contained  a  loom,  and 
almost  every  woman  was  a  weaver. 

"  Every  family  tanned  their  own  leather.  The  tan-vat 
was  a  large  trough  sunk  to  the  upper  edge  in  the  ground. 
A  quantity  of  bark  was  easily  obtained  every  spring  in 
clearing  and  fencing  land.  This,  after  drying,  was 
brought  in,  and  on  wet  days  was  shaved  and  pounded 
on  a  block  of  wood,  with  an  axe  or  mallet.  Ashes  were 
used  in  place  of  lime,  for  taking  off  the  hair.  Bear's  oil, 
hog's  lard,  and  tallow,  answered  the  place  of  fish  oil. 
The  leather,  to  be  sure,  was  coarse ;  but  it  was  substan- 
tially good.  The  operation  of  currying  was  performed 
with  a  drawing-knife,  with  its  edge  turned  after  the  man- 
ner of  a  currying  knife.  The  blacking  for  the  leather 
was  made  of  soot  and  hog's  lard. 

"  Almost  every  family  contained  its  own  tailors  and 
shoemakers.  Those  who  could  not  make  shoes,  could 
make  shoepacks.  These,  like  moccasins,  were  made  of 
a  single  piece  of  leather,  with  the  exception  of  a  tongue- 
piece  on  the  top  of  the  foot.  This  was  about  two  inches 
broad,  and  circular  at  the  lower  end.  To  this  the  main 
piece  of  leather  was  sewed  with  a  gathering  stitch.  The 
seam  behind  was  like  that  of  a  moccasin.  To  the  shoe- 
pack  a  sole  was  sometimes  added.  The  women  did  the 
tailor  work.  They  could  all  cut  out  and  make  hunting 
shirts,  leggins  and  drawers." 

The  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  this  region  were 
primitive  and  rude  in  their  manners.  In  the  wildest 
portions  of  the  State  are  still  to  be  found  modified 
representatives  of  those  early  customs.  The  social 
gatherings  of  those  days  were  reaping-bees,  log-roll- 
ings, cabin-building,  elections,  weddings,  and  funerals. 
A  wedding  brought  out  as  much  of  character  in  all 


34  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

ages  and  conditions,  and  in  both  sexes,  as  any  social 
meeting.  The  groom  and  attendants,  starting  from 
the  house  of  his  father,  arrived  at  the  bride's  residence 
before  noon.  The  gentlemen  were  attired  in  linsey 
hunting  shirts,  leggins,  leather  breeches,  moccasins, 
and  shoepacks ;  the  ladies  "  in  linsey  petticoats,  and 
linsey  or  linen  bedgowns,  coarse  shoes,  handker- 
chiefs, and  buckskin  gloves,"  with  few  buckles,  rings, 
buttons,  or  ruffles,  unless  they  were  ancestral  relics. 
The  horses  were  caparisoned  with  pack-saddles,  with 
a  bag  or  blanket  thrown  over  them,  and  a  rope  or 
leather  string  as  a  girth.  The  march,  in  double  file, 
of  the  wedding  company,  was  annoyed  by  such  tricks 
as  tying  grapevines  across  the  way,  or  an  ambuscade 
and  discharge  of  guns,  followed  by  shrieks  of  the 
girls,  a  sudden  spring  of  the  horses,  and  occasionally 
a  resultant  accident.  The  preliminary  race  for  Black 
Betty,  or  the  whiskey  bottle,  by  the  young  men,  should 
not  be  omitted  in  the  history.  The  story  is  thus  told 
by  Doddridge. 

"  The  ceremony  of  the  marriage  preceded  the  dinner, 
which  was  a  substantial  backwoods  feast  of  beef,  pork, 
fowls,  and  sometimes  venison,  and  bear  meat,  roasted  and 
boiled  with  plenty  of  potatoes,  cabbage,  and  other  vege- 
tables. During  the  dinner  the  greatest  hilarity  always 
prevailed ;  although  the  table  might  be  a  large  slab  of 
timber,  hewed  out  with  a  broad  axe,  supported  by  four 
sticks,  set  in  auger-holes ;  and  the  furniture,  some  old 
pewter  dishes  and  plates  ;  the  rest,  wooden  bowls  and 
trenchers  ;  a  few  pewter  spoons,  much  battered  about  the 
edges,  were  to  be  seen  at  some  tables.  The  rest  were 
made  of  horn.  If  knives  were  scarce,  the  deficiency  was 
made  up  by  the  scalping  knives,  which  were  carried  in 
sheaths,  suspended  to  the  belt  of  the  hunting  shirt. 
Every  man  carried  one  of  them. 

"  After  dinner  the  dancing  commenced,  and  generally 


MARKIAGE   FESTIVITIES.  35 

lasted  till  the  next  morning.  The  figures  of  the  dances 
were  three  and  four  handed  reels,  or  square  sets  and  jigs. 
The  commencement  was  always  a  square  form,  which  was 
followed  by  what  was  called  jigging  it  off;  that  is,  two 
of  the  four  would  single  out  for  a  jig,  and  were  followed 
by  the  remaining  couple.  The  jigs  were  often  accom- 
panied by  what  was  called  cutting  out;  that  is  when 
either  of  the  parties  became  tired  of  the  dance,  on  inti- 
mation, the  place  was  supplied  by  some  of  the  company, 
without  any  interruption  to  the  dance.  In  this  way  the 
dance  was  often  continued  till  the  musician  was  heartily 
tired  of  his  situation.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  night, 
if  any  of  the  company,  through  weariness,  attempted  to 
conceal  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  sleeping,  they  were 
hunted  up,  paraded  on  the  floor,  and  the  fiddler  ordered 
to  play  '  Hang  out  till  to-morrow  morning.' 

"  About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  a  deputation  of  young 
ladies  stole  off  the  bride  and  put  her  to  bed.  In  doing 
this  it  frequently  happened  that  they  had  to  ascend  a 
ladder,  instead  of  a  pair  of  stairs,  leading  from  the  dining 
and  ball  room  to  the  loft,  the  floor  of  which  was  made 
of  clap-boards,  lying  loose.  This  ascent,  one  might  think 
would  put  the  bride  and  attendants  to  the  blush ;  but  the 
foot  of  the  ladder  was  commonly  behind  the  door  which 
was  purposely  left  open  for  the  occasion,  and  its  rounds 
at  the  inner  ends,  were  well  hung  with  hunting  shirts, 
dresses,  and  other  articles  of  clothing.  The  candles  being 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  the  exit  of  the  bride 
was  noticed  but  by  few. 

"  This  done  a  deputation  of  young  men,  in  like  manner, 
stole  off  the  groom  and  placed  him  snugly  by  the  side 
of  his  bride.  The  dance  still  continued,  and  if  seats 
happened  to  be  scarce,  as  was  often  the 'case,  every 
young  man,  when  not  engaged  in  the  dance,  was  obliged 
to  offer  his  lap  as  a  seat  for  one  of  the  girls,  and  the  offer 
was  sure  to  be  accepted.  In  the  midst  of  the  hilarity, 
the  bride  and  groom  were  not  forgotten.  Pretty  late  in 
the  night  some  one  would  remind  the  company  that  the 
new  couple  must  stand  in  need  of  some  refreshment ;  black 
Betty,  which  was  the  name  of  the  bottle,  was  called  for, 
and  sent  up  the  ladder;  but  sometimes  black  Betty  did 
not  go  alone.  I  have  many  times  seen  as  much  bread, 


36  "WEST   VIRGINIA. 

beef,  pork,  and  cabbage  sent  along,  as  would  afford  a  good 
meal  for  half  a  dozen  hungry  men.  The  young  couple 
were  compelled  to  eat  and  drink,  more  or  less,  of  what- 
ever was  offered. 

"But  to  return.  It  often  happened  that  some  neigh- 
bors or  relations,  not  being  invited  to  the  wedding,  took 
offense ;  and  the  mode  of  revenge  adopted  by  them  on 
such  occasions,  was  that  of  cutting  off  the  manes,  fore- 
tops,  and  tails  of  the  horses  of  the  wedding  company." 

The  people  of  "West  Virginia  are  departing  from 
the  wisdom  of  the  fathers  of  the  early  days,  when  Sir 
"William  Berkeley,  the  proprietor  of  a  large  tract  in 
Shenandoah  valley,  eighty  years  ago,  wrote  of  the 
new  country  as  follows :  "  I  thank  God  there  are  no 
free  schools  nor  printing,  and  I  hope  we  shall  not 
have  these  hundred  years,  for  learning  has  brought 
disobedience  and  heresy  and  sects  into  the  world,  and 
printing  has  divulged  them  and  libels  against  the  best 
government.  God  keep  us  from  both."  But  this 
departure  leads  in  the  direction  of  a  superior  wisdom, 
and  a  school  system  has  been  adopted  since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  State,  modelled  upon  the  best  State 
systems  in  the  country,  the  results  of  which  will  soon 
be  manifested  in  general  educational  improvement. 

Schools  of  a  higher  grade  are  beginning  to  be  or- 
ganized—  academies  and  high  schools,  and  semina- 
ries, for  young  ladies  —  and  the  impetus  already  given 
to  popular  progress  in  mental  culture  will  soon  occa- 
sion a  further  demand  for  superior  educational  faci- 
lities. 

There  is  awakened  throughout  the  State  a  spirit  of 
lively  interest  in  the  construction  of  roads  and  the 
improvement  of  river  navigation,  in  new  enterprises 
that  develop  its  varied  resources,  in  all  measures 


ACTIVITY   AND   IMPROVEMENT.  37 

essential  to  its  security,  and  the  happiness  and  thrift 
of  its  people,  and  to  their  mental  and  moral  advance- 
ment. 

There  is  a  feeling  of  relief  from  an  irksome  and 
heavy  burden  in  separation  from  Virginia,  whose 
malign  influence  has  long  rested  like  a  nightmare 
upon  this  region.  It  is  manifested  in  the  new  im- 
petus given  to  industry  and  enterprise,  which  is 
already  beginning  to  stimulate  immigration,  to  fill 
up  the  ranks  decimated  by  war,  and  to  swell  the 
aggregate  of  population  existing  when  the  last  census 
was  taken.  The  following  table  will  be  found  useful 
in  future  comparisons: 

4 


38  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Population  of  the  Counties  comprising  West  Virginia  by  the  Census  of  1860. 


Counties. 

Free. 

Slave. 

Total. 

8,863 

95 

8,958 

10,875 

1,650 

12,525 

4,682 

158 

4,840 

-Braxton  

4,888 

104 

4,992 

5,476 

18 

5,494 

Cabell  

7,715 

305 

8,020 

Calhoun  

2,493 

9 

2,502 

Clay  

1,766 

21 

1,787 

Doddridge  

5,169 

34 

5,203 

Fayette  

5,726 

271 

5,997 

Gilmer  

3,707 

52 

3.759 

10,686 

1,525 

12,211 

Hampshire  

12,700 

1,213 

13,913 

Hancock  

4,443 

2 

4,445 

Hardy  

8,791 

1,073 

9,864 

Harrison  

13,208 

582 

13,790 

Jackson  

8,251 

55 

8,306 

Jefferson  

10,575 

3,960 

14,535 

Kanawha  

13,966 

2,184 

16,150 

7,769 

230 

7,999 

4,790 

148 

4,938 

12,659 

63 

12,722 

Marshall  

12,968 

29 

12,997 

8,797 

376 

9,173 

Mercer  

6,457 

362 

6,819 

12,947 

101 

13,048 

Monroe  

9,643 

1,114 

10,757 

Morgan  

3,638 

94 

3,732 

McDowell  

1,535 

1,535 

Nicholas.".  

4,473 

154 

4,627 

Ohio  

22322 

100 

22,422 

Pendleton  

5  920 

244 

6,164 

3,706 

252 

3,958 

Preston  

13,245 

67 

13.312 

Putnam  

5,721 

580 

6,301 

Pleasants  

2,930 

15 

2,945 

Raleigh  

3,310 

57 

3,367 

Randolph  

4,807 

183 

4,990 

6,809 

38 

6,847 

5,309 

72 

5,381 

Taylor  

7,351 

112 

7.463 

Tucker  

1,408 

20 

1,428 

Tyler  

6,499 

18 

6,517 

TJpshur  

7  080 

212 

7,292 

Wayne  

6  604 

143 

6,747 

Webster  

1  552 

3 

1,555 

Wetzel  

6  693 

10 

6,703 

Wirt  

3,728 

23 

3.751 

Wood   

10,870 

176 

11,041 

Wyoming  

1'  7!>7 

64 

2,861 

Total..,. 

358,317 

18,37] 

;;7iM>~'rf 

CHAPTER    III. 

LOCATION. VALUE  OF  LANDS.  —  STOCK  GROWING.  —  FER- 
TILITY.   NO  WASTE  AREAS. COMPARISON  WITH  MARY- 
LAND, MINNESOTA,  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

A  MORE  central  and  accessible  location  could 
scarcely  be  pointed  out  upon  the  map  of  the 
United  States ;  not  central  in  a  continental  sense,  but 
eminently  so  as  regards  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and 
the  area  almost  encircled  by  the  lakes,  the  upper 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  ;•  central  as  regards  the 
populous  cities,  the  markets  of  the  country.  Har- 
per's Ferry,  on  the  extreme  east,  is  but  eighty-one 
miles  from  Baltimore,  one  hundred  and  twelve  from 
Washington  by  railroad  (scarcely  half  that  distance 
in  a  direct  line),  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  from 
Philadelphia,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-six  from 
New  York.  "Wheeling,  on  the  northwestern  border, 
is  but  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  miles  from  Cleve- 
land, and  four  hundred  and  ninety-one  from  Chicago. 
Parkersburg,  the  terminus  on  the  northwestern  Vir- 
ginia branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  is 
three  hundred  and  eighty-three  miles  from  Baltimore, 
five  hundred  and  sixty-eight  from  New  York,  five 
hundred  and  twenty-two  from '  St.  Louis,  five  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  from  Nashville,  and  two  hundred 
from  Cincinnati.  It  is  connected  with  the  tide-water 
of  the  Atlantic  coast  by  railroad,  eighty-one  miles 

(39) 


40  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

distant.  The  water  communication  by  the  bays  and 
rivers  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  is  neither  appre- 
ciated nor  improved  as  it  will  be  in  the  future,  having 
some  of  the  deepest  and  largest  harbors  on  the  con- 
tinent. The  shore-line  of  Virginia  alone  is  made 
fifteen  hundred  and  seventy-one  miles  by  the  Coast 
Survey.  The  western  border  of  West  Virginia  lies 
three  hundred  miles  on  the  Ohio  river,  and  is  in 
immediate  communication  by  water  with  the  whole 
Mississippi  valley,  permitting  the  exchange  of  pro- 
ducts with  the  Louisiana  planter  at  his  doors ;  admit- 
ting of  traffic  along  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  in  the 
wilds  of  Dakota,  and  allowing  side-wheel  steamers 
from  the  Kanawha  to  vex  the  waters  of  the  far-off 
tributaries  of  the  Upper  Mississippi. 

The  ploughs  and  automaton  harvesters,  which  will 
hereafter  garner  the  annual  wealth  of  western  prai- 
ries, may  be  transported  to  all  those  plains  in  vessels 
fabricated  by  the  labor  of  "West  Virginia  from  her 
own  oak  and  iron,  and  the  metal  of  those  implements 
may  there  be  mined,  the  ore  heated  by  adjacent 
strata  of  coal,  the  requisite  flux  obtained  from  the 
same  hill,  and  all  compacted  into  a  perfect  machine, 
with  timber  found  growing  on  the  surface,  which  has 
been  manufactured  by  a  perpetual  water-power  that 
leaps  the  crags  of  the  summit  and  falls  gently  into 
•the  vale  below,  meandering  towards  the  Ohio,  quiet 
as  the  meditative  ox  that  fattens  on  the  sweetest  of 
perennial  herbage  upon  its  banks. 

Where,  in  the  wide  world,  lies  so  broad  a  network 
of  water  communication  at  the  very  feet  of  a  State  so 
full  of  the  varied  treasures  of  the  forest  and  of  the 
mine  ?  That  such  a  country,  with  an  elevation  above 


VALUE    OF   FARMS.  41 

the  malarias  of  the  lowlands,  and  never  rising  above 
the  level  of  corn  and  sorghum  production ;  within  a 
few  hours  of  the  sea,  and  its  treasures  and  facilities 
for  transit  —  a  land  peculiar  for  its  green  pastures 
flowing  with  milk,  for  its  bright  flowers  laden  with 
honey,  and  for  its  river  slopes  that  promise  to  run 
with  wine  —  should  lack  inhabitants,  or  the  hum  of 
industry,  or  the  show  of  wealth,  is  an  absurdity  of 
the  present  and  an  impossibility  of  the  future. 

The  farm  lands  embrace  at  least  four-fifths  of  the 
area,  amounting  to  ten  million  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-six  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-four 
acres,  or  seventeen  thousand  and  twenty-five  square 
miles,  and  they  averaged  in  value,  by  the  assessment 
of  1860,  eight  dollars  and  three  cents  per  acre.  The 
State  of  Virginia,  before  division,  comprised  thirty- 
one  million  fourteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  in  farm  lands,  worth  eleven  dollars  and  ninety- 
one  cents  per  acre.  In  view  of  their  central  location, 
access  to  eastern  markets,  and  connection  with  all 
parts  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  by  river  navigation, 
munificence  of  forest  and  field,  and  greater  wealth 
of  minerals  beneath,  this  is  cheaper  than  any  lands 
(of  similar  position  and  value  in  the  country.  With 
a  little  improvement  in  each  county,  of  a  character 
that  is  an  earnest  and  guarantee  of  progressive  and 
steady  advancement  in  material  development,  eight 
dollars  per  acre  has  become  twenty,  and  eighty- 
seven  millions  in  the  aggregate  already  more  than 
two  hundred  millions.  And  such  improvements 
nearly  pay  for  themselves  as  they  are  made,  leav- 
ing fully  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  in  a 
very  few  months,  to  burden  the  pockets  of  the 

4* 


42  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

people,  who  have  had  the  industry  and  enterprise 
to  make  them. 

Indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  compute  with  ac- 
curacy, in  Federal  currency,  the  actual  appreciation 
already  attained  at  the  present  writing,  since  the 
census  of  1860.  It  would  amount  to  tens  of  millions 
of  dollars  in  advanced  rates  at  which  property  is 
held,  much  of  which  is  founded  upon  actual  cash 
purchases  within  the  past  year.  While  this  advance 
is  mainly  speculative,  there  is  energy  and  enterprise 
and  skill  enough,  as  well  as  capital,  interested  and 
actually  engaged  in  the  development  of  these  valu- 
able resources,  to  insure  a  steady  and  permanent 
progress  of  industrial  improvement.  There  is  some 
danger  that  speculation  may  drive  the  farmer  and 
farm  laborer  to  localities  valuable  for  agriculture 
only,  by  raising  the  price  of  land  above  a  point 
that  can  be  remunerating  to  agricultural  operations. 
With  proper  encouragement  to  labor,  such  as  en- 
lightened interest  must  dictate  to  capital,  this  result 
need  be  neither  general  nor  permanent. 

Stock  farming  has  long  been  profitably  carried  on 
in  this  region.  Cattle  find  abundant  pasturage  from 
the  first  of  May  to  December,  often  till  January; 
and  not  unfrequently  they  are  left  to  shift  for  them- 
selves through  the  whole  year,  coming  out  of  the 
winter  in  good  condition,  if  the  autumn  was  favor- 
able for  grass,  and  the  snow  light.  They  are 
rarely,  if  ever,  stabled  in  winter,  but  occupy  wood- 
land pastures,  through  which  their  fodder  is  scat- 
tered from  wagons,  if  the  herds  are  large.  Ten, 
twelve,  and  sometimes  fifteen  dollars  per  head,  as 
profit,  rewarded  the  care  of  bullocks  kept  a  single 


STOCK   GROWING.  43 

year  (before  the  rebellion),  which  were  sold  to  go  to 
the  eastern  markets,  or  to  the  stall  feeders  of  the 
south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  their  places  made 
good  by  the  young  cattle  from  the  southwestern 
counties.  The  mountain  range  was  largely  de- 
pended on,  with  its  sweet  natural  grasses,  the  pea 
vine,  and  aromatic  shrubbery. 

When  forest  trees  and  wild  grasses  are  subdued, 
the  blue  grass  as  naturally  appears  as  robins  follow 
the  opening  spring.  Timothy  and  clover  are  the 
seeds  sown  in  cultivation ;  but  ;they  are  extirpated 
in  four  or  five  years  by  the  more  vigorous  blue  grass. 
Many  farmers  have  preferred  not  to  cultivate  lands 
that  are  well  set  in  this  valuable  grass,  of  which  two 
acres  are  ample  to  keep  a  bullock  in  fine  condition, 
believing  it  more  profitable  to  depasture  than  to 
plough. 

Ten  years  ago  a  circular  was  sent  out  by  the  Agri- 
cultural Division  of  the  Patent  Ofiice,  inquiring  the 
cost  of  raising  stock  in  different  sections  of  the 
country.  The  cost  of  a  steer  three  years  old  was 
reported  to  be  twenty-five  dollars  in  New  York, 
twenty-four  dollars  in  Ohio,  fifteen  dollars  in  Illinois, 
twelve  dollars  in  Iowa,  and  but  eight  dollars  in  West 
Virginia.  In  Arkansas  and  Texas  it  was  still  less, 
with  counterbalancing  disadvantages  '  in  distance 
from  the  best  markets.  For  stock  growing  in  prox- 
imity to  markets,  it  is  unsurpassed,  if  not  unequalled, 
by  any  other  State. 

The  mountain  regions  are  unexcelled  as  sheep- 
walks,  and  are  beginning  to  be  "improved  as  such. 
Preston  has  nineteen  thousand  and  eighty-four, 
Monroe  twelve  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty- 


44  WEST   VIEGINIA. 

eight,  Greenbrier  sixteen  thousand  and  sixty-seven, 
Pendleton  fourteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three.  The  whole  State  is  waking  up  to  the  fact  of 
its  peculiar  adaptation  to  this  business.  Yet  it  is 
only  a  beginning  that  has  been  made.  The  number 
of  sheep  already  there  (four  hundred  and  fifty-three 
thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  in  1860)  is 
but  a  moiety  of  the  number  that  will  at  some  time 
contribute  their  triple  munificence  of  fertilization 
to  the  soil,  and  food  and  raiment  to  the  people. 
The  mildness  of  the  climate  and  excellence  of  moun- 
tain pastures,  are  conditions  favoring  the  production 
of  the  best  quality  of  wool.  For  sweetness  and 
flavor,  the  mountain  mutton  of  Virginia  is  deserv- 
edly celebrated.  The  production  of  fine  spring 
lambs,  of  Southdown  or  Cotswold  blood,  for  the 
markets  of  eastern  cities,  would  prove  here  a  most 
profitable  business. 

General  "Washington,  whose  cool  judgment,  and 
rare  opportunities  as  a  surveyor,  gave  him  the  choice 
of  desirable  wild  lands,  early  evinced  an  appreciation 
of  those  of  the  Ohio  and  Great  Kanawha  Valleys. 
He  made  selections  of  some  of  the  finest  locations 
upon  those  rivers,  and  obtained  patents  for  thirty- 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy- three  acres 
—  nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  on  the 
Ohio,  and  twenty-three  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixteen  acres  on  the  Great  Kanawha,  fronting  many 
miles  upon  the  river.  A  favorite  location  was  the 
vicinity  of  the  Burning  Spring,  a  few  miles  above 
Charleston ;  another  superior  tract  was  a  thousand 
acres  on  Round  Bottom,  which  he  sold  to  Archibald 
McClean.  As  an  evidence  of  the  quality  of  these 


FEKTILITY.  45 

lands,  it  may  be  stated  that  George  Edwards,  upon 
similar  lands  in  the  vicinity,  near  Moundville,  sold 
sufficient  hay  in  1863  and  1864,  in  addition  to  pas- 
turage for  his  cattle,  to  make  an  average  of  one 
hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  his  farm  —  a  profit 
equivalent  to  its  cost. 

A  Mr.  Shultz  was  reported,  a  few  years  since,  to 
have  grown,  in  an  interior  county,  a  crop  of  fine 
white  wheat  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  bushels  from  eight  acres,  or  forty-six  bushels 
per  acre.  A  little  farm  of  twenty-eight  acres,  not  in 
the  best  condition,  has  yielded,  in  a  single  season,  four 
hundred  bushels  of  corn,  eighty-six  of  wheat,  twenty- 
one  tons  of  hay,  fifty  bushels  of  oats,  one  hun- 
dred of  apples,  with  pasturage  for  three  cows  and 
a  horse.  A  little  farm  of  thirty  acres,  a  few  miles 
from  Parkersburg,  occupied  by  a  plain  farmer  and 
his  wife,  last  year  rewarded  its  owner  with  a  surplus 
of  nine  hundred  dollars  above  expenses  and  the  cost 
of  living,  from  common  culture  of  field  crops  and 
dairying.  Instances  could  be  multiplied,  showing 
the  profit  derived  from  agriculture  in  West  Virginia. 
If  these  statements  do  not  convince  the  skeptical,  let 
a  personal  examination  be  made  at  any  point,  and 
the  result  will  add  to  the  reputation  of  these  moun- 
tain lands. 

The  following  statement  of  a  correspondent,  C.  S. 
Richardson,  of  Briarport  Mines,  in  the  Kanawha 
Valley,  illustrates  the  character  of  the  virgin  soil : 

"  Comparatively  unknown,  and  seemingly  uncared  for, 
there  are  extensive  tracts  of  rich  and  fertile  lands  in  the 
wilderness,  whose  capability  of  productiveness,  when 
developed,  would  astonish  the  dwellers  in  the  open  coun- 


46  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

try  if  they  were  made  acquainted  with  the  facts.  Iso- 
lated from  general  view  through  the  absence  of  any 
roads,  the  traveller  has  but  little  chance  of  making  their 
acquaintance.  The  dwellers  in  these  solitudes  are  not 
of  a  very  communicative  disposition ;  hence  so  little  is 
known  of  their  real  value.  During  a  series  of  topo- 
graphical and  geological  surveys  on  the  Elk  and  Coal 
Elvers,  my  attention  was  called  to  numerous  spots  that 
I  conceived  would  make  beautiful  farms.  Gentle  slopes, 
flat-top  I'idges,  and  level  dells  were  frequently  met  with. 
These  were  primitive  forests,  and  a  stranger  to  the 
woodman's  axe  or  the  saw  of  the  lumberman.  Being 
interested  in  the  mining  resources  of  Kanawha,  and 
having  in  view  one  of  its  fundamental  principles  of  de- 
velopment—  population  —  I  determined  to  try  an  experi- 
ment to  ascertain  the  truth  or  fallacy  of  my  ideas.  With 
this  end  before  me,  I  selected  a  spot  scarcely  ever  trod- 
den by  the  foot  of  man.  It  is  called  '  Ginseng  Hollow,' 
and  lies  between  the  main  Briar  Creek  (Coal  Eiver)  and 
the  Davis  Creek  ridges,  in  Kanawha.  As  an  inducement 
to  my  first  pioneer  tenant,  I  offered  to  let  him  have  fifty 
acres  of  land,  rent  free,  for  five  years,  and  after  he  had 
got  his  log-house  built,  fields  enclosed,  and  a  road  cut  for 
a  way  out,  he  should  have  a  lease  for  twenty-one  years 
at  thirty  dollars  a  year  rent.  I  soon  found  a  tenant,  and 
thus  far  I  can  report  the  experiment  eminently  success- 
ful. It  has  been  two  years  in  cultivation.  The  first 
year  was  chiefly  devoted  to  clearing,  or  rather  girdling 
the  trees,  fencing,  breaking  up  the  ground,  and  building 
his  house  and  barn ;  but,  nevertheless,  several  acres  were 
cultivated,  and  yielded  a  very  fair  crop  of  corn.  Last 
year,  the  ground  being  tolerably  well  cleared  of  roots 
and  underbrush,  the  trial  commenced.  The  summer  was 
unusually  dry ;  scarcely  any  rain  fell  for  three  months ; 
but  the  soil  being  new,  and  a  humid  atmosphere,  which 
always  prevails  in  the  dense  woods,  keeping  the  heated 
air  cool,  the  crops  grew  vigorously:  and  when  the  har- 
vest came,  my  tenant  had  the  pleasing  satisfaction  of 
being  able  to  report  he  possessed  the  finest  crop  of  corn  in 
the  district.  Even  on  our  bottom  lands  there  was  nothing 
superior. 

"I  have  since  visited  another  spot,  although  not  quite 


KINDS   OF   TIMBER.  47 

so  isolated,  where  similar  results  were  obtained.  This 
small  trial  shows  very  conclusively  that  if  immigration 
is  judiciously  encouraged,  and  land-owners  induced  to  be 
more  liberal  in  their  concessions  to  the  industrious  labor- 
ing classes,  thousands  of  acres  of  our  back  forest  lands 
may  be  brought  into  a  profitable  state  of  cultivation, 
thus  creating  a  new  field  to  agricultural  enterprise,  in- 
.creasing  our  population,  reducing  our  taxation  by  dis- 
tributing its  burden  over  a  greater  number  of  contribu- 
tors, and  materially  augmenting  our  nation's  wealth, 
prosperity,  and  greatness.  Many  persons  will  be  inclined 
to  remark  :  '  This  is  all  very  well  in  theory,  but  in  prac- 
tice will  it  pay?"  Now  let  us  see.  These  lands,  on  an 
average,  can  be  purchased  for  less  than  four  dollars  per 
acre.  Fifty  acres,  then,  cost  two  hundred  dollars.  Add 
five  years'  interest  on  this  before  any  rent  is  received, 
which  is  sixty  dollars,  and  forty  dollars  for  miscellaneous 
expenses,  making  three  hundred  dollars.  The  rent  on 
this,  at  thirty  dollars  a-year  (which  is  about  half  of 
what  is  usually  asked),  produces  ten  per  cent.  Now 
these  lands  I  speak  of  are  mineral  lands,  and  as  soon  as 
the  country  is  intersected  with  railways  (which  we  all 
hope  it  soon  will  be),  then  every  acre  in  proximity  to 
such  lines  will  be  worth  from  twenty-five  to  one  hun- 
dred dollars. 

"  Of  timber  we  have  all  the  varieties  common  to  our 
latitude  and  altitude,  but  the  different  kinds  of  oak,  of 
the  finest  quality,  predominate.  Pines  are  rare,  and 
spruce  and  hemlock  are  seldom  met  with,  except  near 
the  'Glades,'  or  on  the  borders  of  our  small  mountain 
streams.  No  country  can  furnish  superior  wild  cherry; 
and  walnut  and  butternut  abound  on  our  alluvial  and 
richer  soils.  The-  magnificent  flowering  poplar  is  found 
in  great  abundance  on  our  better  class  of  soils,  surpass- 
ing all  our  forest  trees  in  magnitude,  and  is  in  great 
request  for  lumber.  We  have,  also,  hickory,  ash,  sugar 
maple,  and  the  minor  and  varied  species  of  timber  in 
ordinary  and  sufficient  supply. 

"  Our  soils  run  through  every  grade  of  fertility,  from 
the  argillaceous  to  the  silicious,  but  a  generous  loam, 
with  a  substratum  of  clay,  slate,  or  sandstone,  predomi- 
nates. A  li<rht  stratum  of  limestone  is  found  near  the 


48  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

surface  in  most  sections  of  the  county,  varying  in  thick- 
ness from  one  and  a  half  to  four  feet;  but  the  great  vein, 
before  spoken  of  ranges  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  thick- 
ness, and  is  of  superior  quality.  Our  river  bottoms, 
though  limited  in  extent,  are  very  fertile,  which,  with 
much  of  our  higher  lands,  especially  in  the  central  and 
southern  portions  of  the  county,  are  well  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  Indian  corn,  while  every  part  at  all  suscep- 
tible of  cultivation  would  produce  abundantly  all  the 
cereals  and  lighter  grains,  if  treated  with  fair  and 
liberal  cultivation.  Even  with  our  present  wretched 
system  of  culture,  our  soils  yield  remunerative  crops. 
Our  agriculture  has  been  slightly  improved  within  the 
few  past  years,  but  it  is  still  miserable  and  exhaustive. 
But  ours  is  pre-eminently  a  grazing  country,  and  already 
much  success  has  rewarded  those  who  have  engaged  in 
it.  Dairies  are  springing  up  and  yielding  large  returns. 
Sheep  husbandry  has  already  enlisted  the  attention  of 
very  many  of  our  citizens,  and,  although  in  its  infancy, 
it  is  probably  the  most  remunerative  pursuit  of  our 
people.  This  element  of  our  wealth  will  undoubtedly, 
at  no  distant  day,  stand  pre-eminently  above  all  others, 
our  minerals  excepted." 

The  mountain  regions  of  "West  Virginia,  in  the 
imaginations  of  strangers  conversant  with  the  rocks 
and  crags  and  general  barrenness  so  often  associated 
with  mountains,  may  seem  unworthy  of  the  attention 
even  of  farmers.  It  is  a  fallacious  idea.  In  many 
localities,  in  which  a  field  of  level  land  is  unknown, 
and  all  is  abrupt  and  almost  precipitous,  there  is  no 
sign  of  a  gully,  or  evidence  of  washing  visible,  or  a 
swamp,  or  pool  of  stagnant  water,  even  the  bottom 
of  the  "sinks,"  or  "devil's  punch-bowls,"  which  are 
hopper-like  depressions,  sometimes  fifty  to  a  hundred 
feet  in  depth.  Such  a  region  is  that  of  Monroe  and 
Greenbrier,  green  with  luxuriant  herbage  or  umbra- 
geous with  heavy  forest,  with  a  natural  drainage 


NO   WASTE   AREAS.  49 

scarcely  improvable  by  art,  and  exhibiting  in  a  power- 
ful light  the  great  value  of  thorough  drainage,  in  pro- 
motion of  health  of  man  and  beast,  and  enhance- 
ment in  quality  and  quantity  of  nature's  products. 

The  absence  of  unproductive  or  waste  areas  is 
noticed  by  the  most  casual  traveller  through  this 
region;  and  in  this  particular  there  is  little  differ- 
ence in  the  several  sections  of  West  Virginia.  Steep 
hillsides,  abruptly  falling  from  a  giddy  height,  are 
smooth  as  a  lawn,  and  as  green.  Rocks  may  diver- 
sify the  landscape,  as  a  rare  exception,  but,  as  an 
almost  universal  rule,  they  repose  unseen  beneath 
the  surface,  and -never  disfigure  the  view,  or  do  vio- 
lence to  the  economy  of  nature,  or  arouse  the  spleen 
of  the  ploughman.  A  writer  in  the  "  Farmer's  Li- 
brary," in  1847,  simply  tells  the  truth  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  new  State,  in  a  mention  of  Monroe 
county :  "  Here  where  not  a  drop  of  water  lies  any- 
where on  the  surface  for  a  moment  after  it  falls,  the 
foot,  and  the  sides,  and  the  tops  of  hills,  over  hun- 
dreds of  acres,  whether  cleared  or  in  wood  —  all 
parts  seem  alike  fertile  and  verdant.  At  the  top  no 
less  than  the  base  does  the  timothy  flourish  until 
eaten  out  by  the  yet  more  nutritious  and  fattening 
blue  grass,  which  takes  final  possession;  and  such 
seems  to  be  the  nature  of  all  this  region  —  with  this 
distinction,  fhat  where  the  oak  is  the  principal 
growth,  there  the  land  is  more  gravelly,  throws  up  an 
undergrowth  of  wood,  and  is  better  adapted  to  grain; 
while  the  prevalence  of  the  maple,  the  buckeye,  and 
walnut,  shows  more  fitness  for  grass,  and,  like  the 
blue  grass  of  Kentucky,  is  clear  of  undergrowth." 

In  comparison  with  the  opulent  and  ancient  State 
5 


50  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

of  Maryland,  the  showing  for  West  Virginia  is  not 
altogether  a  meagre  one.  The  latter  State,  though 

O  O  W 

less  than  half  as  large,  has  somewhat  more  of  im- 
proved land,  with  a  far  smaller  proportion  of  unim- 
proved land,  and  an  average  valuation  of  farm  lauds 
of  thirty  dollars  and  eighteen  cents  per  acre.  Mary- 
land produced  in  1860,  six  million  one  hundred  and 
three  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty  hushels 
of  wheat,  and  thirteen  million  four  hundred  and 
forty-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two 
bushels  of  Indian  corn ;  but  of  live  stock  and  slaugh- 
tered animals  scarcely  larger  figures  than  those  of 
West  Virginia  are  shown  —  fourteen  million  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  the  value  of  the  former,  and  two  mil- 
lion eight  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  five 
hundred  and  ten  dollars  of  the  latter. 

The  area  of  Minnesota  is  more  than  threefold  that 
of  West  Virginia,  but  the  occupied  farm  lands  were, 
in  1860,  much  less,  viz.,  five  hundred  and  fifty-four 
thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  acres  of 
improved,  and  two  million  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  un- 
improved, averaging  but  six  dollars  and  eighty-six 
cents  per  acre.  The  amount  of  wheat  produced  was 
a  little  less  than  in  West  Virginia ;  there  was  less 
than  half  as  much  corn,  about  two-tllirds  as  much 
butter,  little  more  than  one-fourth  the  value  of  live 
stock,  and  yet  almost  twice  the  amount  of  West  Vir- 
ginia's hay  crop  is  required  and  produced. 

The  population  of  West  Virginia  is,  by  the  last 
census,  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eighty-eight.  It  thus  stands  the  twenty- 
seventh  State  in  the  order  of  its  population,  tvith 


COMPARISON   WITH   NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 


51 


nine  below  it  namely:  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
Khode  Island,  Minnesota,  Florida,  Delaware,  Kansas, 
Oregon  and  Nevada. 

New  Hampshire,  the  next  below  in  point  of  numbers 
of  its  inhabitants,  contains  thirty-five  to  each  square 
mile.  West  Virginia  has  sixteen,  as  nearly  as  can  be 
calculated  in  the  imperfect  condition  of  her  surveys. 
To  realize  more  fully  the  present  material  status  of 
this  new  member  of  the  family  of  States,  let.  a  com- 
parison be  instituted  with  this  older  member  of  the 
family.  It  will  be  found  useful,  in  the  future,  in 
illustration  of  the  growth  of  a  region  blessed  with 
marvellous  resources,  when  relieved  of  the  incubus 
of  dwarfing  and  degrading  caste,  and  fairly  started 
in  the  race  of  improvement. 


New  Hampshire. 

West  Virginia. 

326,073 

373  321 

2,367,039 

2,346,137 

1  377,591 

8  550  257 

$69,689,761 

$87,525,087 

$18  58 

$8  03 

Value  of  farming  implements  and  machinery 

$2,682,412 
41,111 

$1,973,158 
87,536 

Cattle  

264,067 

310,089 

310,534 

453  334 

51,935 

327,214 

$10,924,627 

$12,382,680 

1,160,212 

1,073,163 

4  137  543 

746  606 

121  103 

60  368 

89  996 

342  518 

238  966 

2,302  567 

128  248 

71  263 

1,414  628 

7,858  647 

1  329  213 

1  649  090 

$557  934 

$234  273 

$76  256 

$44  299 

6  956  764 

4  760  779 

2  232  092 

131  585 

642  741 

154,136 

Home  manufactures,  value  of  

$251,013 
$3  787  500 

$502,671 
$2  124  869 

52  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Though  the  area  of  the  Granite  State  is  hut  forty 
per  cent,  of  that  of  "West  Virginia,  the  improved 
land  is  equal  in  extent,  while  the  unimproved  farm 
lands  are  little  more  than  one-seventh  as  extensive ; 
yet  the  average  cash  value  in  the  State  so  generally 
improved  is  but  eighteen  dollars  and  fifty-eight  cents 
per  acre,  against  eight  dollars  and  three  cents  per  acre 
in  the  State  which  has  hut  one-fifth  of  its  land  under 
improvement.  New  Hampshire,  has,  of  live  stock, 
fewer  horses  and  mules,  cows  and  young  cattle, 
sheep  and  swine,  but  more  working  oxen.  Her 
excess  of  working  oxen,  of  higher  value  than  cows 
and  young  cattle,  in  part  offsets  the  superior  num- 
bers of  the  horses  of  West  Virginia,  so  that  the 
proximity  of  the  White  Mountains  to  the  fine  mar- 
kets of  manufacturing  cities,  and  the  famed  Cam- 
bridge market,  is  really  little  superior  in  position  to 
the  western  slope  of  the  Alleghanies,  so  accessible  to 
Cincinnati  and  Louisville  on  one  side,  and  Baltimore 
and  "Washington  on  the  other.  !N"ew  Hampshire  has 
the  advantage  of  quite  fifty  per  cent,  in  the  value  of 
animals  slaughtered,  but  West  Virginia  can  offset 
something  in  her  sales  of  horses.  With  a  smaller 
number  of  animals  to  feed,  more  than  four  times  as 
much  hay  is  used  by  New  Hampshire  farmers ;  and 
it  is  not  altogether  owing  to  the  consumption  of  a 
greater  amount  of  corn  in  feeding  stock  that  so  little 
hay  is  used  by  West  Virginia  farmers,  but  it  is  due 
to  the  comparatively  short  and  mild  winters,  and  the 
abundance  of  excellent  pasturage.  This  fact  adds 
greatly  to  the  comparative  profit  of  stock-keeping  in 
the  new  State,  and  will  eventually  add  to  the  market 
value  of  her  broad  acres. 


INTRINSIC   VS.   NOMINAL    VALUE.  53 

The  bushels  of  corn  and  wheat,  and  other  grain, 
plainly  point  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  having  been 
produced  by  imperfect  and  slovenly  culture,  the 
blemish  and  disgrace  of  Southern,  Western,  and,  in 
fact,  of  American  farm  husbandry. 

The  item  of  a  half  million  dollars  of  home  manu- 
factures is  creditable  to  the  habits  of  rural  simplicity 
and  to  the  self-reliance  of  the  women  of  West 
Virginia. 

To  show  how  low  an  estimate  has  been  made 
of  prospective  real  estate  values,  let  the  valuation  be 
placed  on  the  basis  of  that  of  adjoining  States  — 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  In  intrinsic  wealth  of  soil 
and  minerals  combined,  aside  from  the  accidents  of 
settlement  or  position,  West  Virginia  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  be  inferior  to  either.  The  present  farm 
valuation  is  eighty-seven  million  five  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  and  eighty-seven  dollars.  At 
the  Ohio  valuation,  thirty-two  dollars  and  thirteen 
cents  per  acre,  it  would  amount  to  three  hundred  and 
fifty  million  one  hundred  and  one  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  dollars ;  at  the  Pennsylvania 
valuation,  thirty-eight  dollars  and  ninety-one  cents,  it 
would  be  four  hundred  and  twenty-three  million  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  thousand  six  hundred  and 
ninety  dollars.  The  impetus  given  to  improvement 
by  inaugurating  the  policy  of  voluntary  labor,  with 
all  of  its  tendencies  to  material  and  moral  develop- 
ment, is  sufficient  to  give  instantly  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars  additional  value  to  the  farming 
lands  of  the  State. 

6* 


CHAPTER    IV. 

CLIMATE.  — ALTITUDE.  —  TEMPERATURE.  — RAIN-FALL.  — 
SALUBRITY.  —  SCENERY. 

A  STUDY  of  causes  affecting  the  climatic  condition 
of  West  Virginia  will  be  found  interesting.  In 
its  latitude,  lying  as  it  does  mainly  between  37°  and 
40°  north,  it  is  neither  suggestive  of  hyperborean 
blasts  in  winter,  nor  a  torrid  temperature  in  summer ; 
of  pent-up  valleys,  blockaded  with  drifted  snow  and 
solid  ice  for  weary  months,  nor  sweltering  plains, 
parching  and  baking  under  a  brazen  sky.  It  has 
neither  the  saturated  and  leaky  canopy  that  overhangs 
old  England,  nor  the  rainless  sky  of  a  California  sum- 
mer, but  a  pleasant  medium,  giving  a  covering  of 
snow  in  winter  just  sufficient  to  protect  the  grass  and 
grain,  a  rain-fall  in  seed-time  ample  for  the  proper 
preparation  of  the  soil,  and  a  diminished  supply  in 
gentle  showers  during  the  later  growth  and  ripen- 
ing of  vegetation.  Its  mountains,  unlike  those  of 
Europe,  or  the  Rocky  mountains  in  the  west,  do  not 
very  materially  affect  the  conditions  of  climate,  ex- 
cept to  reduce  the  temperature  in  proportion  to  alti- 
tude. There  are  local  differences,  to  be  sure,  the 
result  of  peculiar  position,  but  the  interior  valleys  of 
the  Alleghanies  have  nearly  the  same  temperature  as 
the  broad  slopes  on  either  side,  and  these  opposite 
slopes  scarcely  differ  in  their  climatic  peculiarities. 
Unlike  the  mountains  of  Europe,  however,  the 

(54) 


ALTITUDE.  55 

Alleghanies  in  this  latitude  have  less  rain  than  the 
plains  below. 

The  average  altitude  of  the  highest  summits  is  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  in  this  section  of  the 
Alleghany  range,  increasing  southward.  The  upper 
valley  of  the  Kanawha,  instead  of  being  an  arid  desert 
like  the  Colorado  and  other  elevated  plateaus,  is  lux- 
uriant in  verdure,  differing  comparatively  little  in 
humidity  and  temperature  from  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  the  Ohio  valley  in  the  same  latitudes ;  indeed, 
the  elevation  of  the  Kanawha  is  but  two  thousand 
five  hundred  feet  in  southern  Virginia  near  its  source, 
descending  more  than  one  hundred  miles  before  it 
bursts  its  Alleghanian  barrier  in  Monroe  county, 
"West  Virginia,  where  it  ranges  between  eighteen 
hundred  and  thirteen  hundred  feet,  thence  rapidly 
falling  to  little  more  than  six  hundred  feet  at  the 
foot  of  the  falls  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley, 
whence  it  flows  gently,  with  the  slight  descent  of  a 
few  inches  to  the  mile,  to  the  Ohio  river.  The  fol- 
lowing table  exhibits  the  elevation  of  the  Allegha- 
nies and  their  slopes  in  this  section  of  that  great 
mountain  range : 

Summit  elevations. 

Summit  in  latitude  37  J°           .            .            .  2,650  feet. 
Summit  at  crossing  of  Baltimore  and  Ohio 

railroad      .....  2,620  feet. 

Western  plateau  at  White  Sulphur  springs  2,000  feet. 

Source  of  Cheat  and  Greenbrier  rivers          .  2,400  feet. 

Blue  Kidge,  near  Harper's  Ferry             .  1,800  feet. 

Elevation  of  the  valley  of  Virginia. 

Near  the  Potomac       ....        800  feet. 
At  Covington          ....  902  feet. 

At  Staunton     .....     1,222  feet. 


56  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Elevations  west  of  the  mountains. 

Cheat  river,  valleys  of  western  declivity       .  1,375  feet. 

Mouth  of  the  Greenbrier  .            .            .  1,333  feet. 

Tygart's  valFey,  lowest  within  the  mountains  1,000  feet. 

Ohio  river  at  Pennsylvania  line         .            .  675  feet. 

Ohio  river  at  Kentucky  line          .            .  550  feet. 

Kanawha  river  at  Charleston             .             .  600  feet. 

The  first  of  these  divisions,  the  summit  and  table- 
lands of  the  Alleghanies,  comprises  a  narrow  strip 
of  little  more  than  the  average  width  of  the  county, 
and  extends  from  the  Alleghanian  backbone  to  the 
chain  of  mountains  which  are  really  a  continuation 
of  the  Cumberland  range,  and  known  as  Cotton  Hill, 
Gauley,  Laurel  Hill,  &c.  The  valley  between  these 
two  ranges  lies  at  a  level  of  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea ;  the  Green- 
brier  valley,  for  instance,  for  a  length  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  having  an  average  elevation  of  fifteen 
hundred  feet.  Much  of  the  cultivated  land  of  Green- 
brier  county,  which  is  one  of  the  summit  counties, 
lies  at  a  height  of  eighteen  hundred  to  two  thousand 
feet,  and  yet  ripens  corn  and  sorghum  without 
difficulty,  and  enjoys  a  winter  climate  of  great 
mildness. 

The  second  division  includes  the  valley  of  Virginia 
or  the  Shenandoah  valley,  averaging,  perhaps,  fifty 
miles  in  width,  and  extending  through  the  old  State 
of  Virginia  in  a  southwestern  and  northeastern  direc- 
tion. Only  the  mouth  of  the  valley  is  embraced  in 
"West  Virginia.  Its  average  elevation  in  this  section 
is,  perhaps,  one  thousand  feet. 

The  third  section,  which  may  be  said  practically  to 
represent  the  elevation  of  the  State,  containing  at 


ALTITUDE.  57 

least  sixteen  thousand  square  miles,  or  two-thirds  of 
its  entire  area,  including  and  almost  bounding  on  the 
east  the  great  coal  basin,  lies  between  the  altitudes 
of  six  hundred  and  fifteen  hundred  feet.  The  up- 
lands, a  few  miles  from  the  Ohio,  with  an  elevation 
differing  considerably  at  different  points,  may  be 
averaged  at  eight  hundred  feet.  In  the  Kanawha 

o  <_? 

valley,  below  the  falls,  the  river  is  little  more  elevated 
than  the  Ohio,  from  Parkersburg  to  Point  Pleasant, 
but  the  river  bluffs  rise  precipitously,  giving  the  sur- 
rounding country  an  average  of  at  least  one  thousand 
feet  for  sixty  miles,  with  a  considerable  increase 
towards  the  falls.  The  average  for  the  entire  section 
is,  perhaps,  eleven  hundred  feet.  By  a  comparison 
with  other  points  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  this  ele- 
vation will  not  be  found  to  indicate  a  region  parti- 
cularly mountainous  in  its  altitude : 

Bellefontaine  summit  (highest  land  in  Ohio),    1400  feet. 

Hillsboro',  Ohio,                .                .  .     1131  feet. 

Portsmouth,  Ohio  (Ohio  river),  •  .                540  feet. 

Columbus,  Ohio,                .                .  .762  feet. 

Northern  Indiana,  sources  of  Maumee,  850  feet. 

Prairies  of  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  .       950  feet. 

Blue  Mounds,  Southern  Wisconsin,  .               1640  feet. 

Chicago,  Illinois,                .                .  .       590  feet. 

Central  Kentucky,                   .  .                800  feet. 

Louisville,  Kentucky,        .                .  .      441  feet. 

St.  Louis,  Missouri  (Upper),  .                480  feet. 

Knoxville,  Tennessee,      .                 .  .       960  feet. 

Chattanooga,  Tennessee,         .  .                643  feet. 

Iluntsville,  Alabama,        .                 .  .       600  feet. 

Thus  the  greater  portion  of  West  Virginia,  though 
appearing  so  mountainous  from  the  broken  character 
of  the  surface,  is  of  less  elevation  than  Logan  and 
Hardin  counties,  in  Ohio,  which  are  so  level  in  dis- 


58  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

tricts  of  highest  elevation  as  to  present  the  appear- 
ance of  swamps,  and  suggest  to  the  agriculturist  the 
necessity  of  surface  drainage,  while  the  ascent  has 
appeared  like  a  continuous  plain  from  the  Ohio  river. 

The  slope  of  the  Alleghanies  on  the  west  is  more 
abrupt  than  on  the  east,  making  a  rapid  descent  for 
the  rivers  for  a  short  distance,  whence  their  flow  is 
gentle,  with  grades  not  unlike  those  of  rivers  upon 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Ohio,  the  only  essential  differ- 
ence being  the  greater  rapidity  of  the  Alleghanian 
streams  near  their  sources. 

The  mean  temperature  of  "West  Virginia  for  the 
year,  as  may  be  seen  by  an  examination  of  the  iso- 
thermal lines,  is  lower  than  any  other  locality  in  the 
same  latitude  east  of  the  Missouri  river.  It  lies  be- 
tween the  lines  of  fifty  degrees  and  fifty-four  degrees, 
which  embrace  the  southern  and  central  portions  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  with  contiguous  portions 
of  Missouri  and  Iowa;  on  the  Atlantic,  deflecting 
northward  to  include  the  coast  line  between  !N"ew 
York  and  Baltimore.  The  isothermal,  indicating  a 
mean  temperature  of  fifty-five  degrees,  passes  through 
Baltimore  and  Washington,  circles  round  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  West  Virginia,  intersects  the  north- 
ern border  of  Kentucky,  and  strikes  St.  Louis,  leaving 
Philadelphia  and  Cincinnati  a  very  little  north  of  the 
line.  The  line  of  fifty-two  degrees  would  come  very 
near  the  centre  of  "West  Virginia.  This  would  make 
the  average  temperature  slightly  lower  than  that  of 
those  two  cities.  The  following  table,  prepared  from 
the  Smithsonian  record,  shows  the  highest,  lowest, 
and  mean  temperatures  for  each  month  of  1859,  of 
Philadelphia  and  Cincinnati,  with  two  points  on  the 


TEMPERATURE. 


59 


Kanawha,  one  near  the  top  of  the  Alleghany  range, 
the  other  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  Ohio  river. 


Kanawha  county, 
West  Virginia. 

Lewisburg,  West 
Virginia. 

Philadelphia, 
Penn'a. 

Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

Month. 

tii 

t*> 

H 

tb 

to 

£ 

ti 

A 

d 

tb 

b'n 

£ 

•a 

•a 

•o 

•o 

13 

•d 

gg 

•a 

•d 

il 

i 

£ 

0 

'f 

t£  P< 

1 

0) 

fc 

fl 

$ 

i 

I 

« 

fe 

Q 

3 

i 

3 

3 

3 

3 

i 

q 

January.. 

62 

6 

35.14 

62 

-2 

32.55 

54 

30.79 

60 

7 

36.11 

February  . 

66 

18 

41.69 

64 

13 

38.40 

62 

20 

36.44 

68 

14 

40.32 

March.. 

75 

30 

51.58 

72 

30 

47.68 

70 

22 

48.12 

70 

31 

50.19 

April.... 

80 

31 

53.98 

85 

25 

51.96 

78 

33 

50.28 

78 

31 

52.37 

May  

86 

48 

65.62 

83 

48 

68.03 

85 

48 

64.65 

86 

54 

70.03 

June.... 

91 

42 

68.51 

90 

38 

69.93 

95 

49 

70.65 

98 

52 

72.87 

July.... 

95 

57 

74.67 

92 

50 

75.93 

95 

58 

76.00 

100 

56 

79.52 

August 

92 

52 

73.38 

92 

60 

74.33 

95 

55 

74.53 

94 

54 

75.64 

September 

84 

50 

65.93 

79 

34 

61.29 

81 

48 

66.18 

86 

56 

68.36 

October... 

80 

25 

50.99 

69 

20 

48.35 

80 

32 

52.32 

HO 

32 

54.37 

November 

79 

20 

46.91 

70 

14 

44.23 

68 

30 

47.49 

74 

20 

49.30 

December 

76 

17 

34.97 

71 

5 

33.33 

70 

11 

33.00 

68 

2 

30.18 

The  lowest  monthly  points  reached  average  the 
same  in  Philadelphia  and  Kanawha  county;  the 
highest  monthly  temperatures  average,  for  the  year, 
the  same  in  Philadelphia  and  Greenbrier  county, 
while  the  average  of  the  lower  extremes  is  less  in  the 
latter  locality.  Kanawha  county  and  Cincinnati  show 
very  similar  extremes,  the  former  being  slightly  more 
moderate  in  high  temperatures,  with  a  still  greater 
depression  in  low  temperatures,  giving  a  pretty  wide 
thermometrical  range,  though  the  mean  temperature 
is  very  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  Cincinnati.  As 
elsewhere  in  the  interior  or  continental  area,  or  basin 
of  the  Mississippi,  the  extremes  are  greater  than  on 
the  coast  of  lake  or  ocean.  Thus  the  table  above,  as 
might  be  expected,  gives  Philadelphia  a  temperature 
less  liable  to  extremes. 

The  following  table  includes  a  record  of  tempera- 


60 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 


ture,  as  furnished  by  authorities  and  in  periods  as 
follows :  Lewisburg,  two  years  (Agricultural  Report) ; 
Richmond,  four  years  (Darby's  U.  S.);  "Washington, 
thirteen  years  (Army  Meteorological  Register) ;  Bal- 
timore, four  years  (record,  Fort  McHenry) ;  Phila- 
delphia, thirty-two  years  (Daily  Inquirer) ;  Cincinnati, 
twenty  years  (Ray) ;  St.  Louis,  twenty-eight  years 
(record,  Jefferson  Barracks). 


Period. 

Lewisburg,  W.  Va. 

Richmond,  Va. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Baltimore,  Md. 

Philadelphia,  I'a. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

0 

S 

0 

M 

OQ 

35.4 
34.2 
44.4 
53.8 
64.9 
69.0 
77.1 
73.9 
68.8 
53.5 
45.0 
35.4 
54.4 
73.3 
55.8 
35.0 
54.6 
1800ft. 

33.7 
39.8 
47.1 
54.7 
65.4 
73.8 
77.6 
74.8 
67.1 
57.5 
44.2 
38.1 
55.7 
75.4 
56.3 
37.2 
56.2 
120ft. 

34.1 

36.7 
45.3 
55.7 
66.3 
74.4 
78.3 
76.3 
67.7 
56.7 
44.8 
37.3 
55.8 
76.3 
56.4 
36.1 
56.1 
80ft. 

32.8 
34.2 
42.3 
52.7 
63.1 
71.6 
76.7 
74.7 
67.8 
55.7 
45.1 
35.6 
52.7 
74.3 
56.2 
34.2 
54.3 
10ft. 

31.8 
32.3 
41.0 
51.8 
62.5 
71.5 
76.0 
73.2 
63.8 
54.5 
44.0 
34.5 
51.8 
73.6 
54.1 
32.9 
53.1 
40ft. 

33.1 
34.1 

43.5 
54.1 
63.6 
71.4 
76.5 
74.2 
66.0 
53.2 
42.5 
33.8 
53.7 
74.0 
53.9 
3.*!.7 
53.8 
543ft. 

32.6 
35.1 
45.1 
57.1 

66.3 
74.1 
78.0 
76.4 
68.1 
55.7 
43.1 
33.8 
56.1 
76.2 
55.6 
33.8 
55.5 
472ft. 

May  

.Tulv  .  . 

01  eni 

«     • 

Summer  

Winter  
Year  

The  mildness  of  the  winter  and  spring  temperature 
at  Lewisburg  is  remarkable,  and  must  result  in  part, 
at  least,  from  the  prevalence  of  southerly  and  south- 
westerly winds  at  that  season.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  summer  temperature  is  lower  than  that  of  any 
other  point  named.  The  purity  of  the  summer  air 


EAIN-FALL.  61 

at  this  point  modifies  the  effects  of  the  heat,  and  re- 
lieves it  of  sultriness  and  the  depressing  influence  of 
a  vitiated  atmosphere. 

The  average  of  the  five  hottest  days  in  five  years, 
from  1832  to  1836  inclusive,  according  to  the  record 
of  J.  II.  Diss  Debar,  taken  in  Doddridge  county,  very 
near  the  geographical  and  thermal  centre  of  the  State, 
is  ninety  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  the  average  of  the 
coldest  days,  for  the  same  period,  six  degrees  Fah- 
renheit. 

From  the  extremely  broken  character  of  the  sur- 
face there  are  sheltered  localities  upon  which  the 
summer  sun  must  pour  a  merciless  flood  of  fiery 
beams,  and  high  plateaus,  or  elevated  slopes,  over 
which  the  wintry  wind  must  sweep  in  fury.  This 
very  fact  of  un evenness  furnishes  a  choice  of  pleasant 
sites  for  comfortable  residences,  of  localities  for  vine- 
yards and  orchards,  and  of  a  general  adaptation  of 
situation  to  circumstances. 

The  distribution  of  rain  in  "West  Virginia  is  admi- 
rably calculated,  in  quantity  and  seasonableness,  to 
insure  success  to  husbandry  and  give  facility  to  all 
its  successive  operations.  The  spring  opens  early, 
and  with  its  opening  come  gentle  and  frequent 
showers.  .  The  summer,  with  less  humidity  than  any 
surrounding  State,  is  not  subject  to  long-continued 
droughts.  The  grasses  spring  green  and  fresh  upon 
the  summits  of  the  loftiest  mountains  during  all  the 
summer. 

The  amount  of  rain  precipitated  in  "West  Virginia 
is  from  thirty-two  to  thirty-six  inches  only,  as  indi- 
cated by  partial  records  kept  in  different  parts  of  the 
State,  and  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewisburg  and 


62 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


the  "White  Sulphur  Springs,  where  the  same  quantity 
was  indicated  on  both  sides  of  the  Alleghanies.  The 
mean  annual  rain-fall  decreases  to  some  extent  south- 
ward from  Pittshurg,  and  its  minimum  quantity  is 
found  in  summer.  No  complete  record  of  the  rain- 
fall of  localities  in  West  Virginia  for  a  term  of  years 
being  at  hand,  it  is  fair,  from  partial  data  at  different 
points,  from  general-  statements  in  Blodgett's  Clima- 
tology and  other  works,  and  from  expressed  opinions 
of  the  most  intelligent  residents,  to  take  Pittsburg, 
in  Pennsylvania,  as  a  basis  of  comparison  between 
Western  Virginia  and  other  localities,  with  the  bal- 
ance of  authority  in  favor  of  a  slightly  lower  figure 
for  the  average  throughout  the  State  than  is  given  in 
the  following  table  for  that  city : 


Place. 

Spring. 

Summer. 

Autumn. 

Winter. 

Year. 

Cambridge,  Massachusetts 
New  York  City  

10.85 
11.69 

11.17 
11.64 

12.57 
9.93 

9.89 
10.39 

44.48 
43.65 

Philadelphia,  Penn'a.  
Pittsburg,  Penn'a  

10.97 
9.38 

12.45 

9.87 

10.07 
8.23 

10.06 

7.48 

43.56 
34.96 

Washington,  D.  C  

10.45 

10.52 

10.16 

11.07 

41.20 

Cincinnati,  Ohio  

12.14 

13.70 

9.90 

11.15 

46.89 

Hudson,  Ohio  

9.76 

8.87 

6.16 

8.00 

32.79 

Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  
St.  Louis,  Missouri  

6.60 
12.86 

9.70 
14.09 

6.80 
8.71 

4.30 
6.29 

27.20 
41.95 

The  only  region  here  shown  to  be  of  like  humidity 
is  that  of  the  lakes,  of  which  Hudson,  Ohio,  is  a  rep- 
resentative. From  data  believed  to  be  reliable,  the 
Kanawha  valley  is  characterized  by  a  rain-fall  almost 
precisely  similar  to  that  of  the  country  bordering 
upon  the  Southern  and  Western  shores  of  Lake  Erie. 

It  would  scarcely  need  the  corroboration  of  sanitary 
facts  to  prove  the  healthfulness  of  this  region.  The 


SALUBRITY. 


63 


altitude,  the  irregularity  of  surface,  the  absence  of 
marshy  plains,  so  peculiarly  characteristic  of  West 
Virginia,  would  give,  in  connection  with  its  medium 
temperature,  assurances  of  health  and  longevity  to 
her  population.  The  following  is  an  exhibit  of  the 
yearly  percentage  of  mortality,  for  twenty  years  past, 
in  the  different  sections  of  the  country : 


Place. 

1850. 

1860. 

2.38 

1.81 

Southern  Atlantic  coast  

1.45 

1.34 

1.25 

1.24 

1.19 

1.32 

.96 

1.08 

Northwestern  States  

1.01 

.98 

Pacific  coast  

.92 

.95 

Thus  the  sections  of  greatest  salubrity  are  the  Alle- 
ghanian,  Northwestern,  and  Pacific;  yet,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  Northwest  and  Pacific  are  virgin  set- 
tlements, filled  with  a  youthful  and  middle-aged 
population,  while  the  Alleghany  region  has  a  homo- 
geneous and  home-staying  people,  we  must  conclude, 
if  we  accept  the  above  percentages  as  an  accurate 
basis  of  calculation,  that  the  highlands  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  are  of  equal,  if  not  superior,  salubrity. 

This  mountain  range  extends  nine  hundred  miles, 
nearly  parallel  with  the  sea-coast,  consisting  of  ridges 
fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  apart,  and  parallel  with 
each  other,  watered  and  wooded  to  their  summits, 
with  extensive  and  fertile  valleys  between.  The 
Blue  Ridge,  Alleghany  and  Cumberland,  with  many 
other  subdivisions,  as  North  Mountain,  Laurel  Hill, 
and  Greenbrier,  are  but  parts  of  the  great  Alleghany 


64  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

system.  That  portion  of  this  section  embraced  in  "West 
Virginia,  abounds  in  many  a  plateau,  with  an  eleva- 
tion just  sufficient  to  insure  a  pure  and  bracing  at- 
mosphere, and  all  conditions  essential  to  vigorous 
and  healthy  growth  both  in  animal  and  vegetable 
life. 

The  scenery  of  West  Virginia  is  worthy  of  a 
volume,  rather  than  the  fragment  of  a  chapter.  Un- 
der the  influence  of  so  genial  a  climate  that  semi- 
tropical  forms  of  vegetation  are  almost  native  to  its 
soil,  its  flora  may  safely  be  presumed  to  equal,  if  not 
to  surpass,  in  variety  and  magnificence,  the  wealth 
of  nature  in  any  other  State  or  Continent.  In  its 
fauna  it  is  equally  distinguished.  Birds,  beautiful 
in  plumage  and  sweet  in  song,  give  life  and  grace 
and  cheerfulness  to  field  and  forest.  The  surface  is 
infinite  variety.  Rills  meet  in  rivulets,  and  rivulets 
swiftly  swell  into  rivers,  which  leap  their  mountain 
barriers  and  quietly  subside  into  the  placidity  of  the 
plains  below.  Mountains  rise  like  little  Alps  on  Alps ; 
glades,  those  meadows  of  the  mountain,  freshen  the 
summer  atmosphere  with  delicious  coolness;  culti- 
vated slopes,  as  in  Greenbrier  and  other  of  the  older 
counties,  move  the  imagination  as  by  a  wand  of  en- 
chantment; deep,  winding,  fertile  valleys,  lie  at  the 
foot  of  beetling  bluffs,  full  of  the  fatness  of  fertility. 
Everywhere  the  vision  is  greeted  with  variety  and 
beauty.  Nature  has  not  only  been  partial,  but  prod- 
igal ;  yet  the  hand  of  man  is  needed  to  direct  and  to 
use  this  beneficence  of  benefaction. 

European  travellers  have  been  enraptured  with  the 
ever-varying  scenery  of  the  Cheat  River  region,  as 
seen  in  a  trip  by  rail ;  and  none  have  been  more  im- 


SCENERY.  65 

pressed  by  it  than  those  who  have  climbed  the  Alps, 
and  viewed  with  awe  their  towering  heights  and 
darkening  depths  beneath.  It  exerts  unwonted  emo- 
tions thus  to  wind  around  the  steep  side  of  a  moun- 
tain spur,  and  emerge  from  its  shadows  into  a  sun-lit 
slope  that  falls  abruptly  away,  at  the  very  edge  of  the 
car,  hundreds  of  feet,  and  reveals  at  the  bottom  of  a 
long  and  winding  valley,  a  singularly  dark  stream, 
whose  chocolate-colored  waters  contrast  while  har- 
monizing with  the  forest  growth  that  reaches  from 
the  golden  sunlight  of  the  mountain  top  down  to  the 
river's  brink.  It  is  nothing  strange  that  the  excited 
Frenchman  should  exclaim  at  the  prospect,  as  one  is 
said  to  have  done  ;  "  Magnifique  !  Zere  is  nossing  like 
zis  in  France!  "  The  sturdiness  of  the  forests — the 
hardy  vigor  of  all  vegetable  life — the  munificence  of 
all  visible  nature,  impress  the  traveller  accustomed 
to  see  bare  rocks  and  stinted  vegetation  amid  moun- 
tain scenery.  There  is  nothing  of  poverty  suggested, 
and  no  intimation  of  sterility;  few  jutting  crags  are 
seen,  unless  hewn  out  of  the  mountain  side  in  cutting 
the  wild  pathway  of  the  railroad ;  and  no  rough  rocks, 
piled  heap  upon  heap,  offend  the  eye  as  it  sweeps  the 
gracefully  rounded  knobs. 

This  is  the-  general  character  of  the  mountain 
scenery  of  West  Virginia.  Abrupt  and  broken  as 
the  surface  appears,  there  is  scarcely  more  of  waste 
area  than  there  is  on  a  western  prairie.  No  plough 
indeed  may  vex  the  virgin  soil ;  it  may  even  be  too 
steep  for  pasturage,  except  by  the  sheep  or  sure-footed 
goat ;  but  let  a  tornado  sweep  away  the  kings  of  the 
forest,  and  in  their  place  prolific  nature  will  send 
forth  rank  grasses  and  wildwood  flowers.  Lonely  as 
6* 


66  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

the  vast  reaches  of  woodland  appear,  and  bold  and 
varied  as  is  the  contour  of  the  mountain-face,  there 
is  always  present  the  suggestion  that  every  acre  is 
habitable — that  the  hand  of  art  may  heighten  the 
beauties  and  soften  the  few  asperities  of  the  scene. 

The  traveller  pursues  his  westward  way  down  the 
Alleghanian  slope,  through  scenery  similar  in  its 
type,  but  slowly  and  continually  modifying,  till  it 
becomes  noticeable  only  as  a  hilly,  fruitful  country, 
divided  into  farms  naturally  suited  to  the  diverse 
uses  of  meadow,  pasturage,  and  tillage,  and  watered 
with  frequent  and  rapid  streams. 

In  the  eastern  section  of  the  State,  the  lower 
Shenandoah  valley  presents  views  of  greater  beauty, 
with  less  of  wildness  and  grandeur.  More  than  a 
hundred  miles,  between  Harper's  Ferry  and  Cum- 
berland, the  Potomac,  "  a  flashing  thread  of  silver," 
runs  out  a  winding  boundary  between  Maryland  and 
"West  Virginia ;  and  the  neighboring  meadows,  and 
wheat-fields,  and  golden-fruited  orchards,  and  wild 
forests,  make  graceful  pictures  of  rural  realities  and 
possibilities  that  touch  the  heart  while  they  delight 
the  eye. 

The  scenery  of  West  Virginia  is  worthy  of  the  high- 
est efforts  of  the  painter  and  the  poet.  Its  "Hawk's 
Nest"  mountain  a  thousand  feet  in  almost  perpen- 
dicular height;  its  "Hanging  Rocks,"  leaning  over 
the  perpendicular,  like  the  tower  of  Pisa,  five  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  surface  ;  its  "  Lost  River,"  burrow- 
ing in  the  earth,  and  "  revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the 
moon  "  in  numerous  outlets  miles  away ;  its  caves, 
and  falls,  and  Indian  mounds; — these,  and  many 
other  peculiar  features  of  her  landscape,  are  worthy 


SCENERY.  67 

of  more  accurate  delineation.  This  scenery,  said  the 
historian  Bancroft,  a  few  years  ago,  "  has  a  character 
of  grandeur  of  its  own ;  and  in  the  wonderful  varieties 
of  forest  and  lawn,  of  river  and  mountain,  of  nature  in 
her  savage  wildness  and  nature  in  her  loveliest  forms, 
presents  a  series  of  pictures  which  no  well  educated' 
American  should  leave  un visited.  We  cross  the 
Atlantic  in  quest  of  attractive  scenes ;  and  lo  !  we 
have  at  home,  along  side  of  the  great  central  iron 
pathway,  views  that  excel  anything  that  can  be  seen 
among  the  mountains  of  Scotland,  or  in  the  passes  of 
the  Apennines;"  and  had  the  writer  visited  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  his  rapture, 
with  no  danger  of  abatement,  might  have  warmed 
into  a  still  brighter  glow. 


CHAPTER  V. 

TOPOGRAPHY  AND   STATISTICS  OP  COUNTIES.  —  THE  VALLEY 
GROUP. 

IT  is  proposed  to  take  a  cursory  view  of  the  several 
counties  comprising  the  State,  grouped  in  natural 
divisions,  with  a  glance  at  the  topography  and  sta- 
tistics of  each  section.  A  few  isolated,  representa- 
tive facts,  happening  together,  as  by  accident,  will 
answer  instead  of  a  description,  which  would  fill  a 
volume  in  itself,  were  a  connected  and  complete 
statement  of  the  more  interesting  features  of  each 
county  attempted.  The  figures  are  those  of  the 
census  of  1860. 

The  lower  part  of  the  valley  of  Virginia,  from  Har- 
per's Ferry  west  to  the  summit  of  the  Alleghauies, 
embracing  the  counties  of  Jefferson,  Berkeley,  Mor- 
gan, Hampshire,  Hardy,  and  Pendleton,  is  included 
in  "West  Virginia.  For  the  variety  and  fertility  of  its 
soils,  fine  water-power,  central  position,  salubrious  and 
delightful  climate,  beauty  and  grandeur  of  scenery 
in  plain  and  on  mountain,  it  can  literally,  and  with 
severity  of  truth,  be  said  to  be  unsurpassed,  if 
equalled,  in  the  United  States  ;  or  as  a  farming  region 
in  which  to  make  homes  of  comfort,  opulence,  and 
refinement. 

This  district  is  a  little  more  than  three  thousand 

(68) 


THE   VALLEY   GROUP.  69 

seven  hundred  square  miles  in  extent,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  Shenandoah,  and  on  the  north  and 
northwest  by  the  Potomac  and  its  north  branch. 
The  eastern  front  ridge  of  the  Alleghanies  is  near 
the  western  boundary ;  Hampshire,  Hardy,  and  Pen- 
dleton  are  intersected  by  parallel  ridges  and  val- 
leys of  the  Alleghany  range;  the  Branch  Mountain 
range  extends  in  a  similar  direction,  and  the  North 
Mountain  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  Hardy 
County. 

The  valley  is  mainly  of  a  limestone  formation,  with 
some  sandstone  and  patches  of  red  and  black  slate. 
The  Opequon  runs  through  a  narrow  strip  of  slate 
soil,  of  inferior  fertility  to  the  fine  limestone  region 
on  either  side  of  it,  in  Jefferson  and  Berkeley. 
These  counties,  it  has  been  said,  "  contain  a  greater 
portion  of  fertile  lands  than  any  other  section  of  the 
State."  The  surface  of  the  mouth  of  the  valley  be- 
tween the  Blue  Ridge  and  Little  North  Mountain 
was  originally  a  broad  rolling  prairie,  with  fringes  of 
timber  on  water-courses.  Some  portions  of  this  dis- 
trict towards  the  mountains  contain  a  proportion  of 
what  is  termed  "liver  soil"  by  the  farmers,  produc- 
tive in  wheat  and  grasses.  The  South  Branch  Valley 
has  a  soil  noted  for  its  fertility,  its  superior  wheat, 
and  the  perennial  freshness  and  succulence  of  its 
summer  verdure.  The  markets  of  Baltimore  and 
Washington  and  the  stock-dealers  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia  attest  the  fatness  and  the  flavor  of  stock 
reared  and  fattened  in  this  mountain  valley. 

The  valley  lands  of  this  section,  in  various  locations 
and  states  of  improvement,  have  commanded  from 


70  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

thirty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre ;  high- 
lands under  cultivation,  from  five  to  fifty  dollars ; 
wild  lands,  from  twenty-five  cents  to  ten  dollars  per 
acre.  The  highlands  are  in  high  esteem  as  sheep 
farms,  and  have  contributed  much  in  this  branch  of 
husbandry  to  the  wealth  of  this  region. 

Jefferson  County,  bordering  on  the  Potomac,  is 
intersected  by  the  Shenandoah,  which  debouches 
into  the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry,  where  the 
united  streams  burst  the  barriers  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
creating  a  landscape  so  remarkable  that  it  was  deemed 
by  Jefferson  "  one  of  the  most  stupendous  scenes  in 
nature,"  "  worth  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic."  The 
county-seat  is  Charlestown,  memorable  as  the  place 
of  execution  of  John  Brown,  of  Ossawattomie.  Har- 
per's Ferry,  its  principal  town,  was  the  site  of  the 
United  States  Arsenal  which  was  destroyed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  and  was  alternately,  for  three 
years,  a  foot-ball  for  the  National  and  Rebel  forces. 
It  has  been  nearly  destroyed  in  the  strife. 

The  soil  of  this  county  is  of  remarkable  fertility, 
a  fine  limestone  prairie,  in  a  high  state  of  improve- 
ment. More  desirable  farming  land  is  scarcely  to 
be  found  in  the  United  States. 

Berkeley  County  was  formed  in  1772.  Its  surface 
is  much  broken,  but  the  soil  is  fertile,  especially  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Potomac  River  and  Back  and  Ope- 
quon  Creeks,  which  drain  the  county.  Coal  is  found 
in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  Martinsburg,  the 
county-seat,  has  suffered  severely  during  the  rebel- 
lion by  frequent  changes  of  military  masters,  and 
by  wholesale  destruction  and  plundering  by  Rebel 
armies. 


MOKGAN   COUNTY.  71 

Many  of  the  settlers  of  this  county  were  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians.  As  early  as  1754,  a  community 
of  Baptists  emigrated  from  !S~ew  England  and  estab- 
lished a  church  at  Opequon,  under  charge  of  Rev. 
John  Gerard. 

Colonel  Crawford,  leader  of  expeditions  against 
the  Indians  (in  one  of  which  he  was  captured  and 
barbarously  burned  alive,  in  western  Ohio),  emi- 
grated from  this  county  to  Pennsylvania  in  1768. 
Felix  Grundy,  of  political  note,  was  also  born  in  this 
county,  in  a  log  house  on  Sleepy  Creek. 

Morgan  County  borders  on  the  Potomac,  and  is 
intersected  by  the  Cacapon  River.  It  was  organized 
in  1820,  and  named  in  honor  of  General  Daniel  Mor- 
gan, of  revolutionary  memory.  It  is  mountainous, 
and  possesses  both  coal  and  iron.  It  is  the  smallest 
of  the  counties  of  this  group,  and  the  least  improved, 
with  the  exception  of  Pendleton.  In  this  county, 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  St.  John's  Run,  on  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  thirty-six  miles 
from  Winchester,  are  the  Berkeley  Mineral  Springs, 
much  frequented,  as  they  have  been  since  the  days  of 
1777,  when  Generals  "Washington  and  Gates,  and 
Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton,  attested  their  virtues, 
and  built  cottages  there  for  summer  residence. 
Twelve  hundred -gallons  per  minute  are  said  to  flow 
through  the  bath-rooms  of  the  present  establishment. 
The  baths  are  much  celebrated  from  their  character 
and  quantity  and  agreeable  temperature  (74°),  and 
the  scenery  around  is  highly  picturesque.  The 
'Maryland  Gazette,'  in  1784,  said  of  it:  "In  Berke- 
ley County  five  bathing-houses,  with  adjacent  dress- 


72  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

ing-rooms,  are  nearly  completed.  An  assembly- 
room  and  theatre  are  also  constructed  for  the 
innocent  and  rational  amusements  of  the  polite  who 
assemble  there."  Near  these  springs  is  a  fountain  of 
chalybeate  waters,  which  stimulate  like  strong  tea. 

Hampshire  is  a  large  county,  containing  five  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine  thousand  three  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  farm  lands,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety  are 
improved.  Almost  four  millions  of  dollars  are  repre- 
sented as  the  total  assessed  valuation  of  farms,  and  a 
much  larger  sum  could  be  obtained  for  them  at  the 
present  time.  Of  all  the  counties  of  West  Virginia, 
Hampshire  heads  the  list  for  precedence  in  horses, 
cows,  corn,  buckwheat,  butter,  and  farm  implements. 

In  Hampshire  County  are  the  medicinal  waters 
known  to  travellers  as  the  Capon  Springs,  four  miles 
from  the  Cacapon  River,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
North  Mountain.  The  Shannondale  Springs,  near 
the  Shenandoah  River,  a  few  miles  above  Harper's 
Ferry,  have  been  celebrated  for  their  efficacy  in 
scorbutic  affections.  Several  ebbing  and  flowing 
springs  exist  in  this  region,  and  a  subterranean  river, 
an  affluent  of  the  Shenandoah,  is  said  to  furnish  a 
winter  resort  for  millions  of  the  finny  tribe,  multi- 
tudes being  caught  in  fall  and  spring  as  they  enter 
and  return. 

Ice  Mountain,  in  Hampshire,  twenty-six  miles 
northwest  from  "Winchester,  is  another  natural  curi- 
osity worthy  of  mention.  At  the  western  base  of  the 
mountain,  which  is  here  some  seven  hundred  feet 
high  and  very  precipitous,  is  an  area  of  one  hundred 


ICE    MOUNTAIN.  73 

yards  in  length,  and  a  breadth  of  thirty  feet  up  the 
mountain  side,  covered  with  loose  rocks,  under  which, 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  blocks  of  ice  of  several 
pounds  weight  may  be  found.  Snakes  passing  over 
the  rocks  stiffen  and  die,  and  flies  perish  in  the  same 
way.  Butter  or  fresh  meats  are  preserved  here  almost 
indefinitely.  At  the  base  of  this  bed  of  ice  flows 
forth  a  spring  of  intensely  cold  water;  and  yet  these 
rocks  are  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun  after  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

An  explanation  of  this  phenomenon  has  been  given 
by  C.  B.  Hayden,  in  'Silliman's  Journal:'  "The 
solution  I  conceive  is  to  be  found  in  the  large  and 
unusual  collection  of  rocks,  which,  from  their  porous 
homogeneous  texture,  are  extremely  poor  conductors 
of  heat.  One  side  of  the  mountain  consists  of  a 
massive  wall  many  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  and 
heaped  up  against  this,  as  an  abutment,  is  a  mass  of 
rocks  containing  many  thousand  cubic  feet.  As  the 
mountain  has  a  general  direction  from  northeast  to 
southwest,  the  talus  heap  containing  the  ice  has  a 
northwest  exposure.  The  cavernous  nature  of  this 
heap  would  admit  the  free  entrance  of  atmospheric 
waters,  which  during  the  winter  would  form  ice  in 
the  interior  of  the  mass.  The  ice  thus  situated  would 
be  protected  from  external  heat  by  the  surrounding 
rocks,  as  ice  in  a  refrigerator  is  isolated  and  protected 
from  the  external  temperature,  by  the  non-conducting 
sides  of  the  refrigerator."  Thus  the  Ice  Mountain 
is  simply  a  huge  sandstone  refrigerator,  so  large  that 
one  deposit  of  ice  suffices  for  the  entire  season. 

Gaudy  Castle,  a  cone-like  elevation  five  hundred 

7 


74  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

feet  high  —  the  retreat  of  an  early  settler  fleeing  from 
the  Indians  —  is  a  bluff  of  the  Capon  River. 

The  Tea-Table,  a  few  miles  east  of  the  Capon,  is 
a  solid  rock,  four  feet  in  height,  resembling  a  man's 
hat  standing  on  its  crown,  and  from  its  top  issues  a 
clear  stream  of  water. 

The  Hanging  Rocks  near  Romney,  four  hundred 
feet  high,  are  notable  curiosities. 

Pendleton,  the  most  southerly  of  these  counties,  is 
very  mountainous,  having  a  mean  elevation  of  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Its  unimproved 
lands  amount  to  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand, 
six  hundred  and  forty-two  acres ;  improved,  eighty- 
one  thousand,  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres. 
Of  horses,  it  numbers  two  thousand  five  hundred  and 
forty-three;  milch  cows,  three  thousand  four  hundred 
and  twenty-three;  other  cattle,  six  thousand  three 
hundred  and  eighty-three ;  sheep,  fourteen  thousand 
one  hundred  and  forty-three ;  swine,  five  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  forty-four;  value  of  farm  stock, 
three  hundred  and  seventy-one  thousand,  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  dollars ;  value  of  slaughtered 
animals,  forty-five  thousand  three  hundred  and  nine- 
teen dollars  —  a  fair  show  of  stock  for  so  small  an 
area  of  improved  land.  To  keep  it  during  the  winter, 
but  four  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  tons  of 
hay  are  reported,  or  little  more  than  three  hundred 
weight  to  each  animal  requiring  it.  This  result  is  in 
part  due  to  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  which  ad- 
mits of  winter  pasturage,  especially  to  sheep,  that 
are  always  able  to  find  their  living  in  the  forests;  and 
may  be  partially  attributed  to  the  custom  of  buying 


LOST    RIVER.  75 

and  feeding  stock  from  the  counties  during  the  sum- 
mer months. 

The  natural  features  of  Pendleton  are  among  the 
most  varied  and  striking  to  be  noticed  in  any  por- 
tion of  West  Virginia.  North  Mountain  is  on  its 
southeastern  boundary,  and  Jackson  Mountain  in- 
tersects it.  The  north  and  south  forks  of  the  south 
branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  south  branch  itself, 
drain  this  country,  and  afford  some  fine  alluvial  soil 
for  corn  and  wheat  and  the  most  luxurious  pasturage. 
The  mountains  are  covered  with  the  densest  timber. 
Besides  the  north  and  south  branches,  this  section  is 
drained  by  the  Cacapon  and  Lost  River.  The  Ope- 
quon  forms  the  southeastern  boundary  of  Berkeley 
county.  Lost  River  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  nature. 
After  coursing  through  a  fertile  valley  for  twenty-five 
miles,  it  breaks  through  the  Lost  River  Mountain  and 
bursts  the  barriers  of  Timber  Ridge,  and  then  en- 
counters a  new  obstacle  in  Sandy  Ridge,  which  it 
passes  by  a  curious  piece  of  fluvial  strategy,  mining 
its  way  among  the  loose  rocks  of  the  underlying 
strata,  but  loses  itself  in  its  subterranean  meanderings 
of  three  miles,  coming  to  the  light  again  rather  in 
the  capacity  of  strong  springs,  than  as  the  powerful 
current  of  a  river  which  has  lost  its  way,  to  become 
anew  the  sources  of  a  considerable  stream — the 
Cacapon. 

Hardy  was  detached  from  Hampshire,  and  became 
a  separate  county  in  1786.  It  was  named  for  Samuel 
Hardy,  a  member  of  Congress  of  that  period.  The 
surface  is  rugged  and  rough ;  a  portion  of  the  soil  is 
sterile,  but  the  valleys  are  granaries  and  depots  of 
live  stock — especially  the  South  Branch  valley. 


76  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  Regurgitory  Spring  is  one  of  the  natural  curi- 
osities of  this  county.  It  is  on  the  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain, a  few  miles  from  Petersburg ;  ebbs  and  flows 
every  two  hours ;  emits  a  noise  when  rising  like  the 
gurgling  of  liquor  from  a  bung-hole,  and  falls  till  the 
water  entirely  disappears  at  the  end  of  two  hours' 
depression. 

The  Devil's  Garden  is  a  strip  of  ground  between 
two  ranges  of  mountains,  rising  gradually  about  three 
miles,  and  terminating  in  an  isolated  pile  of  rock 
five  hundred  feet  high,  on  the  face  of  which  is  the 
profile  of  a  grim  figure  overlooking  with  frowning 
aspect  the  savage  scene. 

The  soil  of  Frederick  county  (which  may  be  in- 
cluded in  West  Virginia,  with  the  consent  of  her 
voters),  is  productive ;  an  area  of  sixty  thousand  to 
sixty-five  thousand  acres  is  limestone  divided  into 
farms  of  two  to  three  hundred  acres,  worth  in  former 
years  from  thirty-five  to  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  It  is 
a  well  watered  region,  almost  every  farm  having  its 
springs  and  streams,  which  preserve  their  flow  with 
great  constancy  and  little  diminution  in  the  lapse  of 
time.  Lime  has  long  been  applied,  even  to  a  lime- 
stone soil,  with  great  benefit.  It  has,  until  recently, 
been  purchased  at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel 
for  agricultural  purposes. 


STATISTICS    OF   THE    VALLEY.  77 

Table  of  farm  lands  and  farm  stock  in  the  valley  counties  in  1860. 


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Jefferson... 

85,735 

24,348 

$51.84 

$5,652,143 

$119,176 

7,269 

$466,168 

Berkeley... 

90,892 

41,231 

26.84 

3,547,566 

79,976 

7,057 

336,757 

Morgan.... 

27,147 

48,116 

6.37 

479,987 

27,931 

2,992 

111,439 

Hampshire 

172,690 

376,640 

7.18 

3,947,900 

166,316 

21,287 

763,454 

Hardy  

85,564 

200,927 

9.00 

2,579,581 

57,753 

11,378 

453,768 

Pendleton 

81,184 

220,642 

5.32 

1,606,532 

47,838 

14,143 

371,228 

543,212 

911,904 

$12.24 

$17,813,709 

$498,990 

64,126 

2,501,814 

Table  of  farm  products. 


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Jefferson  

422,514 

15,198 

54,798 

358,267 

6.259 

131,684 

$110,221 

Berkeley  

237,576 

18,672 

76,176 

275,525 

8,031 

160,069 

93,555 

Morgan  

19,404 

16,082 

10,122 

47,575 

1,576 

61,152 

21,325 

Hampshire  ... 

106,310 

75,257 

49,259 

375,090 

11,366 

239,360 

109,834 

Hardy  

39,946 

28,043 

20.200 

286,618 

4,688 

102,603 

71,698 

Pendleton  .... 

11,475 

11,927 

16,516 

122,997 

4,165 

101,838 

45,319 

837,235 

165,179 

227,071 

1,466,072 

36,085 

796,706 

$451,952 

This  exhibit  indicates  what  may  be  done  for  West 
Virginia  by  immigration,  facilities  for  intercom- 
munication, and  development  of  her  resources  of 
forest,  soil,  minerals,  and  water-power.  A  portion 
of  this  territory  is  more  precipitous  and  rough  than 
7* 


78  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

the  country  west  of  the  mountains ;  very  little  is 
richer  in  soil  than  the  arable  lands  of  the  State  gene- 
rally ;  and  yet  the  whole  tract,  to  the  summit  of  the 
Alleghanies,  is  valued  at  twelve  dollars  twenty-four 
cents  per  acre.  Jefferson  County,  with  an  average  of 
fifty-one  dollars  thirty-four  cents  per  acre  for  farming 
lands,  almost  double  the  average  for  the  State  of  Ohio, 
illustrates  well  the  market  value  of  a  central  position, 
contiguous  to  great  markets,  over  the  richest  prairies 
thousands  of  miles  away. 

"With  two  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars  in  live 
stock,  nearly  half  a  million  dollars  yearly  in  butchers' 
meat,  almost  a  million  pounds  of  butter,  three  mil- 
lions of  bushels  of  grain  of  all  sorts,  little  less  than 
two  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  wool,  and  other 
wealth  of  the  farm  in  like  proportion,  in  six  small 
counties,  let  it  not  be  said  that  "West  Virginia  is  a 
poor  locality  in  which  to  find  a  rural  home. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

SURVEY   OP   COUNTIES   CONTINUED.  —  THE   MOUNTAIN 
GROUP. 

THE  mountain  section  proper  has  an  elevation  from 
thirteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  five  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea  level,  including  Preston,  Tucker, 
Randolph,  Hardy,  Pendleton,  Pocahontas,  Green- 
brier,  and  Monroe  counties.  Those  north  of  Green- 
brier  and  west  of  the  summit  of  the  main  ridge  may 
appropriately  be  considered  together.  They  are  cov- 
ered with  heavy  timber,  with  isolated  patches  of  im- 
proved land,  including  but  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  in  the 
four  counties.  Springs  are  abundant,  though  com- 
paratively scanty  in  summer,  and  fall  abruptly  over 
precipitous  ledges  near  their  sources,  and  expand 
into  quiet  rivers,  with  occasional  rapids  in  the  lower 
valleys,  forming  valuable  mill-seats. 

The  soil  is  excellent  for  grasses,  much  of  it  con- 
taining a  good  admixture  of  clay.  With  indifferent 
culture  it  produces  from  thirty  to  fifty  bushels  per 
acre  of  corn;  in  some  cases  a  much  larger  yield. 
Wheat  usually  gives  fifteen  to  twenty  bushels.  But 
the  greatest  value  exists  beneath  the  soil,  in  iron  and 
bituminous  coal,  and  other  minerals. 

High  among  the  western  ridges  of  the  Alleghanies, 
south  of  the  Cheat  Mountains,  and  between  the 

(79) 


80  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

Alleghanian  backbone  on  one  side  and  the  Black 
and  Droop  Mountains  on  the  other,  lies  Pocahontas 
County,  seventy-six  miles  in  length  by  seventeen  to 
twenty  in  breadth.  The  mountain  springs  of  this 
elevated  region  contribute  to  swell  the  waters  of  the 
James,  Potomac,  Mengetia,  Elk,  and  New  Rivers, 
while  the  Greenbrier  flows  through  the  entire  length 
of  the  county,  at  certain  points  through  a  beautiful 
valley. 

In  their  rough  mountain  heights,  remote  from 
railroads  and  navigable  rivers,  dwell  three  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  fifty-eight  hardy  mountaineers, 
occupying  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  in  farms  (less 
than  ten  per  cent,  improved),  worth  two  million 
fifty-one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  dollars. 
Sheep  husbandry  flourishes  here  (numbering  ten 
thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  animals, 
producing  twenty-three  thousand  and  forty-one 
pounds  of  wool),  and  cattle  abound.  The  total 
value  of  live  stock  is  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  thousand  and  two  dollars.  The  production  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  three  hundred 
and  ten  pounds  of  butter  and  six  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  pounds  of  cheese,  in  addition 
to  liberal  supplies  of  milk  for  prolific  households, 
indicates  no  mean  capacity  for  dairying.  Of  Indian 
corn  the  product  is  forty-eight  thousand  two  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  bushels ;  rye,  ten  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  bushels;  wheat,  eight 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-three  bushels; 
flax  fibre  for  the  supply  of  the  old  spinning  wheels, 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds ; 


THE   MOUNTAIN   GEOUP.  81 

and  of  home-made  sweets,  sixty-five  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  maple  sugar,  two 
thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine  gallons  molas- 
ses, and  eight  hundred  and  sixty-six  pounds  of  honey. 
The  value  of  their  animals  slaughtered  is  forty-one 
thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-four  dollars ;  of  their 
home  manufactures,  fourteen  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty-six  dollars.  These  few  figures  are  given 
merely  to  show  that  the  Alleghany  mountain  tops, 
among  the  most  remote  and  inaccessible  portions  of 
West  Virginia,  may  and  do  contain  the  homes  of 
comfort  and  plenty,  and  sturdy  independence. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Pocahontas  are  valuable. 
Iron  ore  is  found,  said  to  produce  eighty-three  per 
cent,  of  pure  metal ;  and  lead,  copper,  and  silver 
exist.  Coal  crops  out  along  the  ranges  of  mountains 
on  the  western  boundary,  which  is  the  eastern  border 
of  the  great  coal  basin. 

The  heavy  and  valuable  timber  of  this  region,  and 
abundant  water-power  everywhere  at  hand,  will  at 
some  time  combine  to  add  materially  to  the  wealth 
of  this  mountain  region. 

Randolph  is  the  next  county  north,  upon  the  west- 
ern declivity  of  the  Alleghanies.  It  is  still  large, 
though  its  former  proportions  are  much  reduce^, 
having  now,  in  farms,  forty-eight  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine  acres  improved,  and  two  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  thousand  and  eighty-three  unim- 
proved, with  a  population  of  a  little  less  than  five  thou- 
sand. It  has,  of  course,  immense  tracts  of  wild  lands 
not  included  in  farms.  The  soil  is  productive  in 
grasses,  and  the  few  patches  in  cultivation  support 
eight  thousand  one  hundred  and  three  cattle,  and 


82  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-five  sheep. 
The  live  stock  is  valued  at  two  hundred  and  forty- 
four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven  dollars. 
Of  maize,  there  is  produced  fifty-five  thousand  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels,  twenty  thousand 
two  hundred  and  forty-eight  bushels  of  oats,  besides 
wheat,  rye,  potatoes,  &c. ;  of  maple  sugar,  forty-three 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-two  pounds,  and 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-one  gallons  mo- 
lasses, and  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy 
pounds  of  honey. 

The  headwaters  of  the  Cheat  and  Tygart's  Valley 
Rivers  drain  this  county.  The  valleys  produce  good 
wheat  and  corn,  and  the  mountains  make  fine  pas- 
turage to  their  summits  when  denuded  of  their  heavy 
timber.  Coal,  iron,  and  limestone  are  abundant,  and 
other  minerals  exist. 

Tucker  County  lies  between  Randolph  and  Pres- 
ton, south  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad ;  has 
a  small  area,  containing  farm  lands,  eleven  thousand 
one  hundred  and  one  acres  improved,  and  forty-three 
thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine  unimproved, 
with  but  four  hundred  and  forty-eight  houses,  and 
producing  nineteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  bushels  of  corn,  six  thousand  and  forty-nine  of 
oats,  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-six  of 
potatoes  (and  even  a  few  sweet  potatoes),  two  thous- 
and four  hundred  and  eighty-three  pounds  of  honey, 
and  other  products  in  proportion. 

Preston,  the  most  northern  of  these  mountain 
counties,  wild  and  mountainous  as  it  is,  and  unde- 
veloped in  its  vast  mineral  resources,  still  shows  from 
slight  beginnings  of  improvement  made  in  the  last 


PRESTON    COUNTY.  83 

few  years  and  the  recent  opening  of  railroad  com- 
munication through  its  borders,  what  comfort  and 
beauty  and  wealth  will  one  day  be  added,  by  labor 
and  skill  and  enterprise,  to  the  wild  attractions  of 
these  highlands.  Let  the  reader  compare  the  facts 
of  its  progress  and  production  with  the  exhibit  made 
by  other  mountain  counties  equally  favored  by  nature. 
The  population  is  thirteen  thousand  three  hundred 
and  twelve.  It  has  ninety-two  thousand  six  hundred 
and  sixty-three  acres  of  improved  land  in  farms,  and 
one  hundred  and  ninety-five  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fifty-one  of  unimproved,  worth  two  million  two 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fourteen  dollars  —  nearly  eight  dollars  per  acre.  Its 
flocks  number  nineteen  thousand  and  eighty-four 
sheep;  cattle,  eleven  thousand  four  hundred  and 
thirty;  horses  and  mules,  three  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven ;  animals  slaughtered  yearly, 
eighty  thousand  four  hundred  and  seven  dollars; 
wool,  forty-seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  pounds ;  butter,  three  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  eighty-eight  pounds ;  cheese, 
nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-two  pounds ; 
and  value  of  live  stock,  four  hundred  and  sixty-one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars.  With 
all  these  twenty-three  thousand  domestic  animals,  so 
mild  is  the  winter  of  these  mountain  valleys  that  but 
five  thousand  three  hundred  and  eight  tons  of  hay 
are  cut,  and  one  hundred  and  four  thousand  three 
hundred  and  seventeen  bushels  of  oats  harvested. 
Of  corn  there  is  produced  seventy-one  thousand  and 
sixty-three  bushels ;  wheat,  eight  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three  bushels;  rye,  ten  thousand 


84  WESTVIEGINIA. 

seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight  bushels ;  potatoes, 
forty-four  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-five  bushels ; 
and  buckwheat,  ninety-five  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  bushels.  Flax  is  grown  to  the  extent 
of  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds 
of  lint ;  maple  sugar,  sixteen  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  pounds ;  honey,  fifteen  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  seventy-four  pounds ;  maple 
molasses,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  gallons  ;  and  (strange  as  it  may  seem  for  moun- 
tain regions)  sorghum  syrup,  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  gallons. 

With  abundant  water-power,  there  is  as  yet  little 
manufacturing  done.  There  are  four  small  woollen 
factories,  several  shops  for  the  manufacture  of 
"  shocks"  (stuff  for  barrel  staves),  tanneries,  &c. 

The  following  extract  from  correspondence  with 
H.  Hagans,  of  Brandonville,  in  Preston  County,  well 
illustrates  its  resources : 


"Preston  County,  geographically,  lies  in  the  right- 
angle  formed  by  the  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  lines, 
and  is  several  miles  west  of  the  main  Alleghany  range, 
though  east  of,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by,  Laurel  Hill, 
the  most  western  member  of  the  great  Apalachian  chain. 
The  county  has  an  average  width,  from  east  to  west,  of 
twenty  miles,  and  is  traversed  by  Cheat  Hiver  from  its 
south  end  north  some  twenty  miles  to  the  mouth  of 
Muddy  Creek,  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line,  where  it  deflects  to  the  northwest,  forcing  its  way 
through  lofty  hills,  and  Laurel  Hill  itself,  and  debouches 
into  the  Monongahela  just  within  the  limits  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Sandy  Creek,  rising  in  Pennsylvania,  east  of 
Laurel  Hill,  takes  a  southerly  course,  and  joins  Cheat 
Eiver  before  that  stream  passes  through  the  mountain. 
Thus,  Preston  County  is  chiefly  included  in  a  basin, 
bounded  on  the  west  by  Laurel  Hill,  and  by  a  cotermin- 


PEESTON   COUNTY.  85 

ous  range  on  the  east,  called  Briery  Mountain,  which 
mountain,  however,  runs  several  miles  west  of,  and  nearly 
laterally  with,  the  Maryland  line,  and  the  space  between 
the  said  line  and  mountain  is  occupied  chiefly  by  a  part 
of  the  region  called  the  '  Yough  Glades/ 

"Although  our  county  lies  principally  in  a  basin,  it  is 
for  more  than  two-thirds  of  its  length,  from  north  to 
south,  geologically  more  elevated  than  the  mountains  on 
either  side,  which  is  shown  by  the  eastern  declination  of 
the  great  limestone  vein  which  crops  out  on  the  west,  at 
the  crest  of  Laurel  Hill,  and  the  western  declination  of 
the  same  stratum  cropping  out  at  the  crest  of  Briery 
Mountain  on  the  east,  other  rocks  and  minerals  con- 
forming substantially  thereto.  A  fine  illustration  and 
proof  of  this  fact  is  afforded  where  Cheat  Eiver  cuts  its 
way  through  Laurel  Hill.  In  the  centre  of  this  rugged 
passway,  this  great  calcareous  stratum  is  seen  eight  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  troubled  river,  and,  travelling  up 
the  struggling  stream,  it  declines  eastward  at  the  rate 
of  about  two  and  a  half  degrees,  and  at  a  short  distance 
below  the  mouth  of  Muddy  Creek,  where  the  river  has 
made  its  course  northwest,  the  limestone  plunges  under 
the  river  bed,  and  is  seen  no  more  until  it  rises  and 
makes  its  eastern  out-crop,  as  above  stated.  Above  this 
great  limestone  seam  are  found  nearly  all  our  minerals 
— that  is  to  say,  a  six,  a  four,  an  eight  feet,  and  some 
minor  seams  of  bituminous  coal,  all  of  which,  however, 
vary  in  thickness,  as  well  as  in  quality,  in  different 
localities.  In  the  southern  section  of  the  county,  and 
especially  at  Tunnelton  and  Newburg,  on  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  its  vicinity,  has  our  mineral  coal 
wealth  been  most  developed,  as  well  as  its  superior 
quality,  yielding,  as  is  proved  by  analysis,  about  ten  thou- 
sand cubic  feet  of  gas  per  ton  of  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  forty  pounds.  The  seams  worked  at  these 
localities  are  from  six  to  eleven  feet  in  thickness,  and 
the  same  are  found  to  range  through  all  these  neighbor- 
hoods. 

"  Our  whole  county  is  underlaid  by  these  bituminous 
Beams,  though  in  most  parts  eight  feet  is  the  heaviest 
vein  that  has  yet  been  developed.  Cannel  coal  has  also 
been  found,  and  manufactured  to  some  extent  into  oil. 

"  Interspersed  with  our  coal  measures  are  correspond 
8 


86  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

ing  veins  of  iron  ore,  of  nearly  all  the  varieties  and 
forms  of  the  hematite  class  found  in  the  Alleghany  range. 
These  ores  are  diffused,  more  or  less,  through  every 
farm  in  the  county,  and  are  found  in  many  localities  in 
strata,  pure  or  intermingled,  ranging  from  one  to  four 
feet  in  thickness,  and  yielding  about  thirty-three  per 
cent.  iron.  But  little  attention  has  been  hitherto  be- 
stowed upon  this  great  and  indispensable  element  of 
our  wealth.  The  see-saw  policy  that  has  resulted  from 
the  prevalence  of  antagonistic  pai'ties  has  at  one  time 
encouraged,  and  at  another  discouraged,  enterprise  in 
the  manufacture  of  iron,  and  finally  ruined  thousands 
who  had  engaged  in  it  These  are  among  the  reasons 
why  our  rich  iron  ores  have  not  been  better  developed 
and  turned  into  the  great  channels  of  commerce.  I  be- 
lieve but  four  blast  furnaces  have  ever  been  built  in  the 
county.  Two  of  them,  many  years  since,  near  the 
northern  section,  and  distant  from  water  transportation, 
have  fallen  into  dilapidation.  Two  others  have  been 
erected  about  eight  years,  and  are  now  in  successful  opera- 
tion—  one  near  Independence,  on  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Kailroad,  with  hot  blast,  producing  some  seventy  tons 
per  week ;  the  other  on  Muddy  Creek,  near  Cheat  Eiver, 
cold  blast,  capable  of  producing  forty  to  fifty  tons  per 
week.  These  are  moderate  sized  half-stacks,  supplied 
with  inexhaustible  beds  of  rich  ores,  and  all  the  elements 
for  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  close  proximity.  Though 
on  a  small  scale,  these  two  furnaces  prove  the  richness 
of  our  ores,  as  the  ore  at  Muddy  Creek  produces  one  ton 
of  good  foundry  iron  from  two  tons  of  roasted  ore,  and 
I  believe  the  other  yields  nearly  the  same.  Such  estab- 
lishments, and  more  extensive  ones,  might  be  multiplied 
indefinitely  through  the  county.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
there  are  some  locations  in  other  parts  of  our  great 
country  more  favored  with  means  of  transportation  or 
proximity  to  a  ready  market  than  is  this,  but  such  for- 
tunate places  are  generally  occupied,  while  we  have, 
abundance  of  the  best  elements  of  iron  yet  inviting  the 
hand  of  industry  and  enterprise." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

SURVEY    OF  COUNTIES    CONTINUED.  -  THE  "PANHANDLE. 


little  point  upon  the  northwestern  boundary, 
-t-  entering  as  a  wedge  between  the  Keystone  and 
Buckeye  States,  is  regarded  with  wonder  by  casual 
map  observers,  who  cannot  account  for  so  strange 
a  freak  in  surveying,  yet  it  is  easily  accounted  for 
when  it  is  recollected  that  Virginia  once  owned  the 
territory  west  of  Pennsylvania  and  north  of  the  Ohio 
River,  and  that  that  river  became  the  line  between 
Virginia  and  Ohio,  leaving  the  four  small  counties, 
Marshall,  Ohio,  Brooke,  and  Hancock,  between  Penn- 
sylvania and  Ohio.  They  comprise  little  more  than 
the  area  of  an  average  county,  and  contain  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  acres  of  improved  land,  and  one  hundred  and 
eleven  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirteen  unim- 
proved, or  two  hundred  and  eighty-one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  in  farm  lands,  valued 
at  nine  million  eighty-eight  thousand  and  seventy- 
seven  dollars,  or  thirty-two  dollars  fourteen  cents 
per  acre.  Marshall,  the  largest,  averages  twenty 
dollars  forty-six  cents  ;  Ohio,  forty-four  dollars  seven- 
teen cents;  Brooke,  forty-four  dollars  eleven  cents; 
and  Hancock,  thirty-four  dollars  twelve  cents. 

From  these  figures  it  may  be  seen  that  this  region, 
so  broken   and  irregular   in    surface,  may  become, 

(87) 


88  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

through  the  agency  of  intelligent  and  persistent  labor, 
a  blooming  and  fruitful  garden. 

Marshall  County,  named  in  honor  of  Chief  Justice 
Marshall,  has  a  river  front  of  thirty  miles,  and  an 
eastern  border  of  twenty  miles  on  the  Pennsylvania 
line.  With  the  Ohio  bottoms,  and  those  upon  small 
local  tributaries,  Fishing  and  Grave  Creeks,  the  county 
has  a  fair  share  of  alluvial  soil,  much  of  which  is  very 
productive,  yielding  eighty  to  one  hundred  bushels 
of  corn  under  judicious  and  careful  culture.  It  was 
here  that  William  Alexander,  a  few  years  since,  pro- 
duced two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  bushels  of  corn 
upon  two  acres,  for  which  he  received  a  premium. 
One  field  to  which  the  attention  of  the  writer  has 
been  directed,  has  been  in  cultivation  in  corn  for 
sixty  consecutive  years,  without  manuring,  and  the 
yield  has  been  reduced  to  twenty  bushels  by  the  gra- 
dual depletion  of  the  soil.  One  of  the  old-line  far- 
mers here  gives  as  the  accustomed  system  of  hus- 
bandry, a  twenty-one  years'  course,  namely,  twenty 
years  in  corn,  and  a  rest  of  one  year  in  wheat,  to  be 
followed  by  twenty  years  in  corn  again. 

The  uplands,  which  are  slopes  of  hills  and  small 
valleys,  with  comparatively  little  of  level  land,  are 
very  rich,  as  is  indicated  by  an  abundant  production 
of  cereals  and  grasses,  and  exports  of  stock,  corn, 
wheat,  and  fruit,  especially  apples.  Good  crops  of 
potatoes  are  usually  secured,  variable  in  quality,  with 
soil,  season,  and  culture,  from  fifty  bushels  upwards, 
a  yield  of  eight  hundred  bushels  per  acre  having  been 
known,  and  even  one  thousand  bushels  of  the  large 
reds. 

Excellent  crops   of  wheat   are  usually  obtained. 


THE  "PANHANDLE."  89 

James  Burlcy,  State  Senator,  has  secured  forty 
bushels  per  acre,  and  others  have  had  similar  success, 
while  the  usual  average  is  about  the  same  as  for  the 
State  of  Ohio,  scarcely  more  than  a  third  of  that  quan- 
tity. Oats  and  barley  do  very  well,  and  good  mea- 
dows produce  from  two  to  three  tons  of  dry  hay  per 
acre. 

Farmers  formerly  threw  their  manure  into  the 
river;  they  are  now  learning  something  of  its  value, 
and  are  beginning  to  husband  carefully  their  re- 
sources of  fertilization.  As  a  means  of  enhancing 
fertility,  the  value  of  sheep  is  beginning  to  be  appre- 
ciated. An  instance  may  be  given  of  an  old  field 
grown  up  in  briers,  which,  with  no  other  manure 
than  the  droppings  of  sheep,  aided  a  little  by  the 
folding  of  mules,  gave  a  return  of  one  hundred 
bushels  per  acre. 

This  county  forms  the  junction  of  the  "Panhandle" 
with  the  great  Virginian  pan  itself,  and  partakes 
largely  of  its  characteristics,  a  diversified  surface, 
slopes  sometimes  gentle  and  sometimes  abrupt,  allu- 
vial formations  in  valleys,  and  a  soil  of  more  than 
average  general  fertility,  whether  in  valley  or  upland. 

The  mammoth  Indian  mound  at  Moundsville, 
twelve  miles  below  "Wheeling,  near  the  mouth  of 
Grave  Creek  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the 
monuments  which  a  former  race  has  left  to  perpetuate 
the  fact  of  their  existence.  It  is  sixty-nine  feet 
high,  and  nine  hundred  in  circumference  at  its  base, 
surmounted  by  a  flat  surface  of  fifty  feet  in  diameter. 
An  oak,  seventy  feet  high,  within  the  past  genera- 
tion, died  of  old  age  upon  its  summit,  one  hundred 
years  old.  A  Mr.  Tomliuson,  in  1838,  pierced  the 


90  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

mound  horizontally  one  hundred  and  eleven  feet,  and 
discovered  a  vault  twelve  feet  long,  eight  feet  wide, 
and  seven  feet  high,  in  which  were  found  two  skele- 
tons. A  second  vault  was  discovered  above  the  first, 
in  which  were  numerous  ivory  heads,  copper  brace- 
lets, and  another  skeleton.  The  interior  of  the 
mound  appeared  to  be  composed  of  earth  mingled 
with  burnt  bones.  The  mound  is  upon  the  second 
bench  of  land,  seventy-five  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  the  river.  Many  interesting  aboriginal  relics 
have  been  found  in  this  vicinity. 

Ohio  County,  in  which  Wheeling  is  situated,  is  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  supporting  from  thirty- 
seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres 
of  improved  land,  amounting  to  less  than  two  town- 
ships of  the  government  surveys,  one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  forty-one  horses  and  mules,  one  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  eight  milch  cows,  two  hundred 
and  forty-six  working  cattle,  one  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  other  cattle,  forty  thousand  and  fifty 
sheep,  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-four 
swine,  worth  altogether  two  hundred  and  fifty-three 
thousand  and  ninety  dollars ;  and  producing  twenty 
thousand  and  forty-eight  bushels  of  wheat,  five  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  thirty-nine  of  rye,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty  of 
corn,  eighty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  one  of 
oats,  twenty-two  thousand  and  seventy- two  of  barley, 
four  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-two  of 
buckwheat,  twenty-one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
forty-nine  of  Irish  potatoes,  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-three  of  sweet  potatoes,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-eight 


VINEYAKDS   NEAR   WHEELING.  91 

pounds  of  butter,  one  hundred  and  two  thousand  and 
thirty-two  pounds  of  wool,  six  thousand  four  hundred 
and  seventy-nine  tons  of  hay,  besides  the  value  of 
fourteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty  dollars 
in  garden  products,  ten  thousand  one  hundred  and 
seventy-four  dollars  in  fruits,  twenty-six  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  in  slaughtered  ani- 
mals, and  a  variety  of  other  productions. 

The  vine  has  been  cultivated  with  uniform  and 
gratifying  success  in  the  vicinity  of  Wheeling,  both 
on  the  hill  slopes,  at  the  top,  or  near  the  bottom,  and 
also  on  the  islands  of  the  river.  Low  lands,  espe- 
cially islands,  have  been  avoided  in  other  localities 
as  sites  for  vineyards,  but  a  look  at  the  islands  of  this 
vicinity  will  suffice  to  solve  the  mystery  of  their 
adaptedness.  If  subject  to  overHow,  it  is  only  at  rare 
intervals  of  winter  or  spring  floods,  the  water  soon 
subsiding,  and  settling  through  the  gravelly  sub- 
stratum with  a  rapidity  almost  coincident  with  the 
subsidence  of  the  river  itself.  If  the  vine  were  potted 
by  a  skilful  gardener,  the  drainage  would  scarcely  be 
superior.  In  such  a  soil  a  great  expense  for  trench- 
ing is  an  entirely  unnecessary  part  of  the  labor  of 
preparing  ground  for  a  vineyard.  The  island  at 
Wheeling,  known  as  Zane's  island,  and  owned  by 
descendants  of  the  original  owner  and  pioneer  of  that 
name,  has  a  large  vineyard,  which  gives  annually  a 
yield  greater  than  the  average  yield  of  American 
vineyards.  When  new  vines  are  added,  the  ground 
is  broken  thoroughly  sixteen  inches  deep,  with  three 
horses,  then  furrowed,  and  holes  dug  one  foot  deep 
in  the  furrows  for  the  reception  of  the  vines.  C.  L. 


92  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Zane,  one  of  the  proprietors,  claims  an  average  pro- 
duct of  five  hundred  gallons  of  wine  per  acre. 

A  fine  vineyard  of  J.  B.  Ford,  and  others,  a  few 
mile's  below  Wheeling,  on  the  breast  of  one  of  those 
heavy  slopes,  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  capabilities 
of  the  bluff  lands  for  grapes.  Being  covered  with  a 
heavy  forest  growth,  the  expense  of  starting  the  vine- 
yard was  much  higher  than  it  otherwise  would  have 
been.  The  timber  felled,  and  the  stumps  dug  out,  a 
furrow  of  twenty  inches  deep  was  cut  with  a  mam- 
moth plough,  and  roots  so  effectually  eradicated  that 
no  sprouts  have  ever  appeared.  The  soil  was  a 
clayey  loam,  with  an  admixture  of  shale.  The  vine- 
yard comprises  fourteen  and  a  half  acres,  and  with 
enclosures  and  building  improvements  cost  about 
five  hundred  dollars  per  acre  exclusive  of  the  land, 
which  overlies  a  coal  mine.  The  product  of  the 
fourth  year  from  planting  was  two  thousand  gallons 
of  wine,  mainly  Catawba;  the  fifth  year  (1863) 
yielded  four  thousand  gallons,  or  nearly  three  hun- 
dred per  acre.  In  1864  the  product  was  six  thousand 
gallons. 

Few  localities  in  the  country  can  claim  so  large 
and  sure  results  of  vine  culture  during  ten  years  past 
as  are  shown  in  this  county.  It  is  an  interest  rapidly 
growing  here,  and  evidently  destined  to  continue  in 
prosperity. 

Other  fruits  succeed  here  admirably.  Among 
pears,  the  Bartlett,  Seckel,  and  Duchess  d'Angou- 
leme  seem  to  be  favorites,  and  some,  when  asked  to 
name  six  most  desirable  varieties,  would  duplicate 
the  three  already  given.  The  "Winter  Nelis  gives 
high  satisfaction  as  a  winter  pear. 


WHEELING.  93 

The  favorite  apples  are  the  Yellow  Bellflower, 
Ranibo,  Putnam,  Russet,  Rome  Beauty,  and  Northern 
Spy.  The  Rambo  is  the  most  productive  on  the 
bottom  lands.  For  early  marketing,  the  Yellow 
June-eating  is  highly  regarded,  being  a  heavy  bearer 
every  year. 

The  fertility  of  the  soil  is  plainly  shown  by  the  size 
of  forest  trees,  and  the  rapidity  of  their  growth.  The 
writer  has  noticed  in  the  grounds  of  L.  Lunsford,  a 
tree  twelve  years  old,  which  is  twenty-two  inches  in 
diameter.  From  the  ashes  of  log  heaps  spring  up 
locusts  with  great  rapidity.  A  sedate  and  truthful 
man  alleges  that  they  have  been  known  to  grow  to 
the  height  of  one  foot  before  the  log  heap  had  done 
burning.  An  opening  in  the  woods,  with  the  least 
exposure  of  the  surface  to  the  sun,  is  immediately 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  green.  Vegetation  is  every- 
where luxuriant  as  the  farmer  could  desire. 

As  early  as  1769,  a  settlement  was  made  of  the 
site  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Wheeling,  by 
Colonel  Ebenezer,  Silas,  and  Jonathan  Zane,  and 
others,  from  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac.  The 
American  Pioneer  ascribed  the  name  given  to  the 
place  to  the  Indians,  who  are  said  to  have  placed  the 
head  of  one  of  their  white  victims  on  a  pole  with  the 
face  to  the  river,  from  which  the  name  weeling,  the 
place  of  a  head,  designated  the  locality.  A  Directory 
of  Wheeling,  for  1839,  assumes  that  the  name  was 
derived  from  a  Catholic  priest,  from  Europe,  who  once 
occupied  the  place  temporarily  as  an  Indian  mis- 
sionary station. 

Wheeling  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  our  bor- 
der warfare,  for  the  siege  of  Fort  Henry,  situated 


94:  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

just  above  the  mouth  of  Wheeling  Creek,  which 
was  saved  hy  the  courage  and  heroic  determination 
of  a  small  band  of  settlers,  fighting  thirty  times  their 
number,  led  by  the  notorious  Simon  Girty.  It  was 
here  that  female  heroism,  was  so  memorably  illus- 
trated by  Elizabeth  Zane,  who  replenished  their  ex- 
hausted supplies  of  powder,  from  an  outside  maga- 
zine, in  the  face  of  the  savage  enemy,  who  were 
astounded  by  the  sublime  audacity  of  the  movement. 

"Wheeling  is  at  present  the  capital  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, as  it  is  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  State. 
Geographically  its  position  is  near  its  northwestern 
extremity,  yet  it  is  in  the  direct  line  of  trade  and 
travel  between  Baltimore  and  all  the  prominent 
cities  of  the  West.  It  is  ninety-five  miles  from  Pitts- 
burgh by  the  river,  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
miles  by  water  from  Cincinnati.  Its  railroad  com- 
munications are  furnished  by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio, 
the  Central  Ohio,  the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg,  and 
the  Hempfield  Railroads.  It  has  thus  naturally 
become  the  focus  of  a  trade  embracing  a  wide  scope 
of  country,  which  is  steadily  increasing  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  agricultural  and  mineral  resources 
for  which  the  region  is  distinguished.  The  National 
Road,  the  great  artery  of  Western  travel  before  the 
era  of  railroads,  and  proud  monument  of  the  wisdom 
of  Henry  Clay,  the  statesman  of  the  West,  crosses  the 
Ohio  River  at  this  point,  by  a  wire  suspension-bridge 
of  one  thousand  and  ten  feet  span. 

The  site  of  the  city  is  a  narrow  alluvial  tract  ex- 
tending three  miles  along  the  river,  of  varying  width, 
shut  in  by  high  hills.  The  facile  pen  of  N.  P.  Willis 


WHEELING.  95 

thus  sportively  described  the  town  and  its  location 
on  his  visit  there  in  1859 : 

"Wheeling,  as  a  town,  confesses  to  the  one  little  draw- 
back of  too  coaVd  an  atmosphere  for  the  lovers  of  clean 
linen  —  the  idlest  inhabitant  being  under  the  necessity 
of  two  clean  shirts  a  day  (too  much  '  coke  upon  little- 
town') —  but  its  suburban  capabilities  are  unequalled. 
Close  behind  the  town,  divided  from  it  only  by  the  high 
hills  which  form  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  is  a  deep-down 
mountain-girt,  well-wooded  valley,  inlaid  with  a  most 
beautiful  tributary  stream,  and  giving  hundreds  of  such 
sites  for  gentlemen's  villas  as  no  landscape  artist  could 
better  contrive.  It  quite  made  my  blood  tingle  to  stand 
on  the  hill-top,  overlooking  the  town  on  one  side  and  this 

glorious  vale  on  the  other,  an'd  imagine  what  it  would 
e  when  Wheeling  shall  be  suburbanized  like  Boston  — 
the  original  Wheeling  a  thousand   times  more   pictur- 
esquely beautiful  than  the  original  Boston !" 

Wheeling  derives  its  chief  reputation  and  a  large 
portion  of  its  business  and  wealth  from  its  manufac- 
tures of  iron,  glass,  paper,  &c.,-  which  occupy  the 
labor  and  attention  of  a  large  per  centage  of  its 
population. 

There  are  now  in  operation  four  mills,  producing 
annually  forty  thousand  tons  of  nails  and  spikes, 
whose  quality  and  finish  challenge  comparison  with 
any  manufactured  elsewhere.  Two  railroad  iron 
works  claim  an  annual  production  of  fifteen  thousand 
tons.  Three  mills  for  making  bar,  sheet  and  plate- 
iron,  produce  annually  twelve  thousand  tons.  The 
total  value  of  the  annual  products  of  these  mills 
exceeds  five  million  dollars.  Seven  foundries  pro- 
duce yearly  one  thousand  tons  of  stove,  and  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  tons  of  other  castings. 

Four   shops  for  the  manufacture  and   repair  of 


96  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

steam-engines  and  machinery,  in  addition  to  the 
repair-shops  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  and  Hemp- 
field  Railroads,  turn  out  work  amounting  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  annually. 

The  product  of  five  glass  works  amounts  to  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars  yearly. 

Ten  hreweries  annually  produce  forty-five  thousand 
barrels  of  fermented  liquors,  of  which  thirty  thousand 
are  ale. 

Six  tanneries  produce  the  value  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

Three  paper-mills  produce  printing  and  wrapping 
paper  and  bonnet-boards  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars' worth  yearly. 

Two  oil  distilleries  yield  an  annual  product  of 
ten  thousand  barrels  of  refined  oil. 

Steamboat-building  is  a  prominent  branch  of 
industry.  Seven  boats  were  built  throughout  during 
the  past  year,  and  as  many  more  were  furnished  with 
cabins  and  engines. 

It  was  formerly  a  great  depot  for  wagon-building, 
mainly  for  the  Southern  market.  The  same  manu- 
facture is  now  diverted  to  the  furnishing  of  ambu- 
lances and  army-wagons  to  the  government. 

A  very  superior  common  cigar,  known  as  the 
"Wheeling  Stogy,"  is  made  here,  the  demand  for 
which  is  so  increased  that  seventeen  shops  are  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture.  There  were  made  fifteen 
million  of  these  cigars  last  year,  valued  at  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

The  manufacture  of  candy  has  become  an  impor- 
tant item,  amounting  to  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  per  annum. 


WHEELING.  97 

In  addition  to  this  enumeration,  there  are  four 
steam  saw-mills,  three  planing-mills,  three  sash  and 
blind-factories,  one  of  cotton  and  one  of  woollen- 
goods,  with  shops  for  the  manufacture  of  copper- 
ware,  furniture,  clothing,  harness  and  trunks,  lead- 
pipe,  and  many  other  articles  of  general  and  local 
necessity. 

For  manufactures  requiring  large  motive  power  or 
large  quantities  of  fuel,  Wheeling  will  always  be  a 
desirable  point.  The  vast  beds  of  coal  which  under- 
lie all  the  adjacent  hills,  and  which  are  often  of  such 
easy  access,  that  the  coal  can  be  wheeled  from  the 
mines  to  the  furnace  without  intermediate  handling, 
will  always  afford  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  fuel  at 
the  very  lowest  price.  At  the  same  time  the  manu- 
facturer has  easy  access  by  river  and  railroad  to  all 
the  markets  of  the  country. 

The  city  is  well  supplied  with  water  from  the  Ohio 
River,  by  powerful  and  well-arranged  water-works, 
and  lighted  with  gas,  which  is  furnished  at  the 
lowest  price;  the  business  streets  and  wharves  are 
well  paved ;  while  the  moral  and  mental  welfare  of 
its  inhabitants  are  well  provided  for  by  twenty-two 
churches  representing  all  the  leading  Christian  de- 
nominations in  the  country;  by  several  public  halls 
and  assembly-rooms,  a  public  library,  two  high- 
schools  for  boys,  two  seminaries  for  young  ladies,  a 
public  school-house  in  each  ward,  and  a  thorough 
and  efficient  common-school  system,  which  will  com- 
pare favorably  with  that  of  any  Western  city. 

Brooke  County  was  formed  in  1797  from  Ohio 
County,  is  the  most  northern  portion  of  the  State, 
averaging  scarcely  more  than  six  miles  in  width  —  a 

9 


98  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

wedge  entering  between  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania. 
The  Ohio  River  washes  its  western  border,  its  sur- 
face uneven,  soil  quite  fertile,  and  its  hills  full  of 
bituminous  coal.  It  has  been  said  of  it,  years  ago, 
if  it  cannot  strictly  be  said  now,  that  for  a  considera- 
ble period  neither  a  distillery  nor  a  criminal  prosecu- 
tion was  known  within  its  limits.  Wellsburg,  the 
county-site,  was  laid  out  in  1789,  and  first  called 
Charlestown,  afterwards  named  for  Alexander  Wei  Is, 
who  built  the  first  flouriug-mill  on  the  Ohio.  The 
first  settlers  were  from  New  England,  and  among  the 
fathers  of  the  settlement  were  the  able  and  eminent 
Philip  and  Joseph  Doddridge,  one  a  Congressman, 
the  other  author  of  a  history  of  the  Indian  wars  of 
Northwestern  Virginia.  Bethany,  eight  miles  from 
Wellsburg,  is  the  site  of  the  college  founded  by  Rev. 
Alexander  Campbell,  who  was  also  the  founder  of  the 
sect  known  as  "  Campbellites."  It  was  in  this  county 
that  "  Rice's  Fort"  was  defended,  when  summoned — 
"Give  up  —  too  many  Indian  —  Indian  too  big  —  no 
kill !"  when  the  defiant  reply  was :  "  Come  on,  you 
cowards  !  we  are  ready  for  .you.  Show  us  your  yel- 
low hides  and  we  will  make  holes  in  them  for  you." 
Of  the  peculiar  adaptation  of  the  mountain  slopes 
and  valleys  of  Virginia  to  sheep  husbandry,  there  is 
abundant  evidence.  Where  circumstances  have  fa- 
vored population,  this  interest,  by  inevitable  gravita- 
tion, has  settled  down  into  a  permanent  and  prominent 
place  in  farm  industry.  The  "Panhandle"  furnishes 
a  notable  illustration : 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY. 


99 


Counties. 

Acres  of 
Farm  lands. 

No.  of  sheep. 

Lbs.  wool. 

Hancock  

49,132 

21,402 

60,214 

Brooke  

55,488 

40,620 

112,774 

Ohio  

54,840 

40,050 

102,032 

121,679 

10,022 

27,385 

Total  ... 

281,139 

112.094 

302,405 

The  area  of  a  country  of  average  size,  little  more 
than  five  hundred  square  miles,  with  two  hundred  and 
eighty-one  thousand,  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
acres  in  farm  lands,  supports  one  hundred  and  twelve 
thousand,  ninety-four  sheep  —  one  for  every  three 
acres  of  the  entire  tract,  inclusive  of  wild  or  waste 
lands ;  one  for  every  two  and  a  half  acres  of  the 
actual  farming  lands ;  and  in  the  three  counties  ahove 
Wheeling,  one  for  every  acre  and  a  half.  In  fact,  for 
one  hundred  and  ten  thousand,  four  hundred  and 
ten  acres  of  improved  land  in  Hancock,  Brooke,  and 
Ohio,  those  counties  have  one  hundred  and  two  thou- 
sand, seventy-two  sheep  —  almost  an  acre  to  each 
sheep,  rivalling  England  itself  in  numbers  compared 
with  area,  and  far  distancing  Ohio,  whose  productive 
acres  are  more  populous  with  sheep  than  any  State  in 
the  Union,  having  eight  acres  to  each  sheep  in  1860, 
with  a  great  increase  since. 

This  would. look  like  giving  up  pasture  and  field 
to  sheep,  and  leaving  no  place  for  cattle  or  grain ; 
but,  no  —  there  is  undoubtedly  more  of  these  pro- 
ducts than  if  the  sheep  were  absent,  the  flocks  of  the 
farm  adding  more  to  its  fertility  than  they  subtract 
from  it.  The  following  table  shows  that  sheep  hus- 
bandry tends  to  no  diminution  in  price  of  lands,  or 
extent  or  variety  of  farm  products : 


100 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 


Counties. 

Value  of 
farms. 

Price  per 
acre. 

Value  of 
live  stock. 

Bushels  of 
wheat. 

Bushels  of 
Ind.  corn. 

Hancock  

$1,676,745 

$34  12 

$182,746 

16,423 

61,346 

Brooke  

2,447,903 

44  11 

282,439 

23,490 

142,122 

Ohio  

2,423,520 

44  17 

253,090 

20,048 

138,430 

2,489,909 

20  46 

280,860 

74,759 

241,911 

Total  

9,038,077 

32  14 

999,135 

134,720 

583,809 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  lands  of  Brooke  and  Ohio 
(one  with  a  large  city,  the  other  having  no  towns) 
are  almost  precisely  alike  in  price,  in  exact  propor- 
tion to  the  number  of  sheep  kept;  while  those  of 
Hancock,  with  flocks  forty  per  cent,  less  numerous, 
are  ten  dollars  less  per  acre ;  and  those  of  Marshall, 
with  one-fourth  the  number  of  sheep  in  twice  the 
area,  have  less  than  half  the  value,  or  twenty  dollars 
per  acre. 

It  cannot  be  said  here  thaUsparseness  of  population 
accounts  for  diminished  values  and  products.  Han- 
cock has  a  population  of  forty-four  hundred  and  forty- 
five,  and  Marshall  of  twelve  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-seven,  giving  a  slight  advantage  to  Mar- 
shall ;  Brooke  has  fifty-four  hundred  and  ninety-four, 
and  Ohio  twenty-two  thousand  four  hundred  and 
forty-two ;  yet  the  price  of  their  lands  is  the  same. 
It  would  seem  that  the  population  of  Wheeling  has 
less  influence  than  the  flocks  of  the  neighboring 
farms  in  raising  the  price  of  lands  of  the  county ! 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

SURVEY  OF   COUNTIES   CONTINUED. —  THE   RIVER  DISTRICT. 

THE  river  counties,  excepting  those  of  the  "Panhan- 
dle," and  those  south  of  the  Kanawha,  are  "Wetzel, 
Tyler,  Pleasants,  Wood,  and  Jackson.  They  contain 
a  great  variety  of  soil,  from  light  silicious  to  deep 
alluvial  of  the  river  bottoms,  with  hill-tops  of  de- 
composed shales  in  a  large  admixture  of  humus,  and 
slopes  with  a  sufficiency  of  lime  and  clay  for  certain 
and  heavy  crops  of  cereals.  Some  of  the  bottoms 
have  a  sandy,  others  a  clayey  subsoil.  In  some  locali- 
ties the  uplands  along  the  Ohio  river  have  a  sandy 
loam,  admirably  adapted  to  fruit  and  market  garden 
culture,  seemingly  quite  light,  but  of  a  fine  and  silty 
texture,  richly  intermixed  with  vegetable  mould.  It 
is  a  quick  soil  and  highly  productive,  and  is  easily 
worked,  but  free,  becoming  exhausted  rapidly,  yet 
easily  kept  "  in  heart"  by  annual  dressings  of  manure, 
green  manuring,  or  other  modes  of  fertilization.  It 
is  a  soil  that  richly  repays  the  labor  of  the  skilful  and 
industrious  husbandman.  There  is  a  fine  body  of 
such  soil  in  Wood  County,  above  Parkersburg. 

Unlike  the  "Panhandle,"  this  section  has  a  much 
larger  amount  of  unimproved  than  improved  farm 
lands.  In  Wetzel  the  acres  of  each  stand  relatively : 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  twenty-one  to  thirty-one  thousand  three  hundred 

9*    '  (101) 


102 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


and  thirty-two ;  in  Tyler,  thirty-nine  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-four  to  ninety-seven  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-two;  in  Pleasants,  fifteen 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  nine  to  thirty-six  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  ninety-eight ;  in  "Wood,  forty- 
six  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  to  ninety- 
four  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine ;  in 
Jackson,  thirty-six  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  to  one  hundred  and  two  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one.  This  difference  in  improvement, 
with  perhaps  a  little  difference  in  quality,  occasions  a 
great  diminution  of  the  average  value,  as  is  shown  by 
the  following  table  of  values  and  products  : 


Counties. 

Value  of 
farms. 

Av.  price 
per  acre. 

Bushels  of 
wheat 

Bushels  of 
corn. 

Pounds  of 
tobacco. 

Wetzel  

$1,176,511 

$7  53 

31,652 

180,150 

84.989 

Tyler  

1,500,003 

10  89 

43,729 

182,239 

11,225 

Pleasants  
Wood  

649,220 
1,673,864 

12  36 
11  92 

22,785 
27,488 

102,172 
115,046 

27,«30 

166,365 

1,355,201 

9  72 

88,338 

219,377 

74,691 

Total  

6,354,799 

10  14 

213,992 

798,984 

365,200 

Considering  the  proportion  of  unoccupied  lands, 
the  proximity  to  the  Ohio  River,  and  the  sparseness 
of  population,  this  section  must  speedily  receive  the 
benefit  of  progressive  and  high  development,  and  its 
land  owners  the  advantage  of  corresponding  enhance- 
ment of  prices.  It  is  a  successful  tobacco  region, 
producing  (in  1860)  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco.  Nor  has  the  troubled 
state  of  the  country  prevented  its  culture  during  the 
war,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  tax  on  what 
has  been  manufactured  in  Parkersburg  during  thir- 


THE    RIVER   DISTRICT.  103 

teen  months,  amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  dollars. 

An  examination  of  the  census  returns  shows  a  good 
variety  of  products,  and  a  yield  indicating  a  quick 
and  fertile  soil.  In  noting  the  quantity,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  population  of  the  five  counties 
is  but  thirty-five  thousand  five  hundred  and  seven- 
teen, divided  as  follows :  Wetzel,  sixty-seven  hundred 
and  three ;  Tyler,  sixty-five  hundred  and  seventeen  ; 
Pleasants,  twenty-nine  hundred  and  forty-five ;  Wood, 
eleven  thousand  and  forty-six,  and  Jackson  eighty- 
three  hundred  and  six.  Comparatively  a  wilderness, 
it  is  one  which  flows  with  milk  and  honey,  yielding 
four  hundred  and  nine  thousand  and  fifty  pounds  of 
butter  after  feeding  the  population,  and  giving  sixteen 
thousand  and  seventy-seven  pounds  of  honey,  in  addi- 
tion to  forty-four  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-six 
gallons  of  sorghum  syrup.  A  profitable  trade  in  grain 
and  in  fruit,  principally  apples,  is  carried  on  by  means 
of  the  river  —  a  trade  which  has  extended  even  to 
New  Orleans,  a  distance  of  eighteen  hundred  miles, 
and  which  has  been  conducted  with  scarcely  more 
expense  than  for  one  hundred  miles  by  railroad.  The 
variety  of  apples  producing  best  and  most  saleable, 
have  been  the  Roxbury  and  Golden  Russets,  and  the 
Yellow  Bellflower.  Tobacco  is  a  lucrative  crop  here. 
The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  a  superior 
quality.  Corn  and  grass  are  the  principal  crops. 
There  is  a  tendency  to  a  greater  prominence  in  sheep 
husbandry.  Five  hundred  sheep  have  recently  been 
introduced  from  Brooke  County,  notwithstanding  the 
unsettled  state  of  the  country,  and  the  exposure  to 


104 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 


loss  from  guerillas.     A  beginning  has  been  made  in 
grape-growing,  which  promises  to  be  successful. 

Nor  has  live-stock  been  neglected.  A  fair  propor- 
tion of  sheep  and  wool  have  been  produced,  and 
horned  cattle  are  profitably  grown  and  fattened.  A 
few  of  these  products  are  given  in  the  following 
table : 


Counties. 

!i 

|| 

si 

>> 

M     £> 

ns  a 

r3 

iS's 

Pounds  of 
butter. 

Bushels  of 
potatoes. 

Products  of 
orchards. 

T3 

*)N 

c-fa 

»  %Q 

f-  a  "o 

>~,  3 

Wetzel  

6,270 

5,507 

124,842 

14,430 

$7,510 

$28,182 

Tyler  

11,900 

6,014 

130,527 

23,733 

11,997 

35,150 

4,514 

1,711 

30,500 

7,747 

5,868 

15  284 

Wood  

7,266 

690 

12,175 

33,166 

2,460 

51  682 

14,316 

2,155 

111,506 

32,630 

9,281 

40  260 

Total  

44,266 

16,077 

409,050 

111,706 

37,116 

170,558 

The  price  of  lands  in  this  section  has  advanced 
wonderfully  of  late.  One  year  ago,  before  the  oil 
excitement,  farms  on  the  Ohio  lliver,  mostly  im- 
proved, with  timber  for  fuel  skirting  the  adjacent 
hills,  an  orchard  in  bearing,  and  comfortable  farm 
buildings,  brought  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars 
per  acre.  The  upland,  nearly  all  susceptible  of  cul- 
tivation, with  a  surface  undulating,  rolling,  or  hilly, 
in  some  places  with  ridges  marking  a  very  sharp 
outline,  if  brought  under  good  cultivation,  in  favor- 
able localities,  sold  at  twenty-five  or  thirty  dollars  per 
acre.  Less  improved,  further  from  railroad  or  river, 
or  rougher  or  poorer,  could  be  bought  for  ten  and 
fifteen,  and  some  even  for  five  dollars. 

The  Ohio  bottom  lands  produce  corn,  as  do  the 
best  prairie  and  bottom  lands  in  the  country,  more 


THE   RIVER   DISTRICT.  105 

according  to  culture  than  to  difference  in  quality,  at 
the  rate  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  bushels  per  acre. 
The  average  of  wheat,  which  is  grown  on  the  hills, 
more  generally  in  loam  than  upon  aluminous  soils, 
among  stumps  and  roots,  and  sometimes  rocks,  and 
greatly  exposed  to  the  raids  of  innumerable  inhabit/- 
ants of  adjacent  forests,  is  about  the  same  as  in  Ohio, 
perhaps  fourteen  bushels  per  acre,  while  occasional 
fields  produce  two  or  three  times  that  amount. 

"Wood  county  has  a  great  variety  of  soils.  The 
northern  portion  is  a  sandy  loam,  productive,  ex- 
cellent for  fruit  and  vegetables,  easily  kept  in  condi- 
tion with  light  dressings  of  manure  and  judicious 
culture.  On  the  Little  Kanawha  the  soil  is  pretty 
stiff  with  clay,  and  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
county  a  limestone  soil  is  found.  A  fair  crop  of  corn 
here  is  about  fifty  bushels  per  acre. 

The  surface  of  Jackson  County  is  rolling.  Many 
of  the  hills  have  a  limestone  soil ;  some  localities  are 
characterized  by  heavy  clay.  Some  of  the  bottom 
lands  are  clay,  and  others  alluvion  based  on  sand  or 
gravel. 

Pleasants  is  a  small  county,  with  good  lands  con- 
siderably improved,  averaging  a  higher  value  in  1860, 
than  those  of  any  other  county  in  the  group,  not  ex- 
cepting Wood.  St.  Mary's  is  the  capital  and  prin- 
cipal town.  Middle  Island,  French,  Cow,  and  Calf 
Creeks,  already  famous  throughout  all  the  borders 
of  Petrolia,  are  in  this  county. 

The  counties  of  Tyler  and  "Wetzel,  lying  between 
Marshall  and  Pleasants,  are  possessed  of  fertile  hill 
lands,  with  a  small  proportion  of  bottoms.  Alluvial 
soil  of  great  fertility,  upon  the  Ohio  river,  is  highly 


106  WEST   VIRGINIA.     , 

valued.  The  streams  are  small  and  unimportant.  A 
very  small  percentage  of  waste  land  exists.  Still 
there  remains  much  unimproved  land  to  be  utilitized. 

Parkersburg,  the  second  city  in  the  State,  is  situ- 
ated in  Wood  County,  at  the  junction  of  the  Little 
Kanawha  and  Ohio  Rivers.  It  takes  its  name  from 
Mr.  Adam  Parker,  who  owned  the  site  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century.  The  county  was  estab- 
lished in  1800 ;  the  town  was  not  laid  out  till  1817  ; 
incorporated  in  1820,  and  obtained  a  city  charter  in 
1860.  It  is  estimated  to  contain  six  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, twice  its  number  when  West  Virginia  was 
organized  as  a  State. 

The  growth  of  Parkersburg  is  at  present  a  marvel 
of  rapidity.  Many  hundred  dwellings  have  been  built 
within  two  years,  and  the  demand  is  more  urgent 
than  ever.  Its  position  in  the  new  State,  its  commer- 
cial importance,  healthfulness,  picturesque  surround- 
ings, and  quick  and  fertile  soil,  would  have  stimulated 
rapid  and  continuous  improvement,  without  extra- 
neous or  extraordinary  influences;  but  the  petroleum 
excitement,  of  which  it  is  the  business  head  and 
geographical  centre,  has  lent  wings  to  progress,  and 
almost  realized  the  fables  of  oriental  dreamers  in 
actual  life.  Not  that  the  city,  by  any  means,  is 
finished,  or  has  attained  its  maximum  size ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  evidently  but  fairly,  though  rapidly, 
started  on  its  career. 

On  the  Ohio,  its  location  is  midway  between  the 
north  and  south  line  of  the  State,  as  Wheeling  is  mid- 
way between  this  point  and  Pittsburg,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-four  miles  distant.  It  is  also  but  forty-five 
miles  north  of  a  point  midway  between  Cincinnati  and 


PARKERSBUEG.  107 

Pittsburg;  and,  in  view  of  the  greater  difficulty,  at 
certain  seasons,  in  navigating  the  Upper  Ohio,  it  is 
fair  to  consider  it  a  half-way  station  between  the  Iron 
and  Queen  Cities.  To  this  place,  the  river  is  always 
navigable  with  ease  and  safety.  The  shortest  rail- 
road line  from  Baltimore  or  Philadelphia  to  Cincin- 
nati and  the  West,  is  through  Parkersburg.  The 
distance  from  Baltimore  is  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  miles  ;  from  Cincinnati,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  miles  by  the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  Railroad, 
and  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  miles  by  the  river. 
This  line  is  a  saving  of  about  sixty  miles,  over  any. 
other,  from  Baltimore  to  Cincinnati;  and  more  than 
half  as  much  between  Philadelphia  and  Cincinnati. 

The  site  could  scarcely  be  surpassed.  Its  area  em- 
braces three  square  miles,  two  miles  on  the  Little 
Kariawha,  and  one  and  a  half  on  the  Ohio,  covering 
two  plateaus,  one  forty,  the  other  sixty  feet  above 
low-water,  looking  upon  scenery  lovely  as  any  the 
Hudson  can  boast,  and  as  beautiful  naturally,  if  not 
as  strongly  marked,  as  any  upon  the  famous  Rhine. 
For  many  miles,  the  Ohio,  like  a  broad  silver  ribbon, 
gleams  brightly  in  the  sunlight ;  and  wide  prairies 
stretch  out  to  kiss  the  feet  of  the  circling  hills,  dark 
with  the  shadows  of  a  thousand  forest  kings.  Ro- 
mantic Blennerjiassett,  classic  with  the  story  of 
intrigue  and  treason,  sleeps  in  deserted  beauty  in  the 
rays  of  a  setting  sun.  On  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
Kanawha,  before  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  rises  an 
almost  perpendicular  wall  of  ragged  rock,  several 
hundred,  feet  in  height,  surmounted  now  by  a  fort,  its 
crest  pierced  for  frowning  guns,  and  the  starry  flag 
Hunting  high  above  all  in  the  thin  air. 


108  WEST   VIKGINIA. 

The  soil  of  contiguous  lands,  north  and  cast,  is  a 
rich  sandy  loam,  of  exceeding  fineness  and  perfect 
drainage,  unsurpassed  for  flowers  and  fruits,  and 
garden  vegetables ;  south  and  west  across  the  Little 
Kanawha,  a  soil  of  clay  is  found,  cultivated  with  less 
facility,  but  productive  when  properly  managed,  and 
very  durable.  The  variety  of  surface,  riverward 
slope,  and  predominent  character  of  soil,  forbid  the 
accumulation  of  water  to  stagnate  and  breed  miasma, 
and  explain  the  prevalent  healthfulness  of  the  whole 
region,  and  its  especial  exemption  from  malarious 
diseases. 

The  streets  are  regularly  laid  out,  sixty  feet  wide, 
in  squares  of  three  hundred  and  forty  feet,  with  few 
exceptions,  graded  and  gravelled.  Two  rivers  afford 
ample  wharfage  for  the  rapidly  accumulating  trans- 
portation business.  The  south  branch  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Railroad  opens  rapid  communication 
through  the  State,  and  turnpikes  lead  towards  Win- 
chester, Staunton,  Charleston,  Elizabeth,  and  St. 
Mary's. 

Six  fine  houses  of  worship  accommodate  the  re- 
ligious exercises  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  South,  Protestant  Episcopal,  Catholic, 
Presbyterian,  and  Baptist  Churches.  The  United 
Brethren  contemplate  the  immediate  erection  of 
another. 

Facilities  for  education  have  not  hitherto  been 
adequate  to  the  wants  of  the  town.  A  fine  Catholic 
school-building,  now  filled  with  pupils  and  teachers, 
is  accomplishing  something ;  and  the  new  school-law, 
modelled  after  the  best  of  the  free-school  system,  will 


PAEKEESBUEG.  109 

in  time  furnish   facilities  for  a  thorough  common 
education  of  all  the  children. 

A  stock  company,  with  a  capital  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  is  preparing  to  supply  the  city  with  gas ;  and 
another  with  a  similar  capital,  is  organized  for  ma- 
chine-shop and  foundry  operations.  Steamboat-build- 
ing is  contemplated,  and  expected  to  be  ultimately 
undertaken  upon  an  extensive  scale.  Lumber  is  cer- 
tainly destined  to  be  a  great  element  in  the  trade 
and  manufacture  of  the  city.  The  Little  Kanawha 
and  its  affluents  drain  a  country  unsurpassed  for  the 
variety  and  excellence  of  its  timber.  It  would  be  an 
excellent  point  for  the  manufacture  of  agricultural 
implements,  and  must  become  an  important  manu- 
facturing place  when  the  railroad  to  the  southwestern 
interior  shall  give  cheap  and  easy  access  to  the  rich 
coal  mines  of  the  adjoining  counties. 

But  it  is  to  petroleum  that  the  present  flourishing 
condition  of  Parkersburg  is  indebted,  and  to  which 
much  of  its  progress  in  the  immediate  future  is  to 
be  accorded.  Hundreds  of  wells  are  already  in  con- 
struction or  operation  within  twenty-five  miles ;  and 
derricks  are  multiplying  far  out  into  the  interior  by 
every  river  and  run.  Barrels  come  literally  "boom- 
ing" down  the  stream,  floating  with  oily  facility  upon 
the  surface.  Boats  bring  forward  in  "bulk"  their 
slippery  burden.  The  ingenuity  and  economy  of 
shrewd  men  is  taxed  for  its  cheapest  transportation. 
The  product  is  rapidly  augmenting,  and  will  continue 
to  increase,  to  what  extent  it  is  impossible  to  say,  and 
almost  useless  to  conjecture.  That  it  will  add  im- 
mensely to  the  business  of  the  city,  there  cannot  be 
a  reasonable  doubt. 
10 


110  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  following  statement  of  the  trade  of  Parkers- 
burg  is  furnished  by  J.  E.  "Wharton  (as  are  many 
of  the  facts  above),  in  his  sketch  of  the  city : 

"  The  trade  and  business  of  the  city  during  the  last 
year  has  been  as  follows :  Sales  of  groceries  and  liquors, 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars;  of  dry-goods, 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  of  clothing,  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars;  of  boots  and  shoes,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars ;  iron,  hardware  and  tin,  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars;  of  jewelry  and  notions,  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars ;  of  furniture,  sixty  thousand 
dollars ;  drugs,  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

"  The  products  of  manufactures  and  labor  have  been 
as  follows :  Milling,  three  hundred  thousand  dollars ; 
lumber,  doors,  sash,  &c.,  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
dollars;  ten  steamboats  built,  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars ;  wagons,  &c.,  thirty  thousand  dollars ;  tanneries, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars ;  ma- 
chinery, seventy  thousand  dollars.  The  oil  refined  in 
four  refineries  amounts  to  eight  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars; while  there  is  not  far  from  two  million  dollars 
worth  of  crude  oil  handled  here  annually,  and  the  amount 
will  be  largely  increased  during  the  coming  year.  The 
breweries  yield  five  thousand  dollars ;  saddleries  and 
harness,  three  thousand  dollars;  manufactures  of  mea- 
sures, five  thousand  dollars ;  bandboxes,  three  thousand 
dollars;  sundries,  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  The 
whole  manufactures  employing  about  twelve  hundred 
persons,  besides  those  employed  in  mechanics  and  com- 
mon labor. 

"  The  machine,  blacksmith  and  carpenter  shops  of  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  employ  about 
sixty  hands,  and  their  works  are  being  enlarged  and 
improved. 

"  The  packing  of  pork  and  beef  here  was  only  com- 
menced the  last  season,  but  it  amounts  to  about  forty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  will  be  increased,  as  this  is  on 
the  direct  route  to  the  Eastern  market  from  the  best  hog 
and  cattle-growing  portions  of  Ohio ;  while  the  growth 
of  hogs  in  this  immediate  section  of  our  own  State  is 


PARKERSBUKG.  Ill 

largely  increasing,  which  will  make  this  ono  of  the  best 
pork  markets  east  of  Cincinnati. 

"  Tobacco  is  grown  extensively  in  this  vicinity,  and 
the  machinery  for  manufacture  in  this  city  is  equal  to 
the  product  of  an  article  worth  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  but  the  manufactures  have  been 
quiet  for  a  few  months  past  to  await  the  action  of  Con- 
gress in  the  imposition  of  taxes. 

"  Coopering  and  the  manufacture  of  oil  and  flour  bar- 
rels is  extensively  carried  on  in  the  city  and  vicinity, 
the  product  of  which,  as  near  as  we  can  gather  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars  per  year. 

"  There  are  three  banks,  two  National  and  one  local, 
with  an  aggregate  capital  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  current  deposits  at  the  present  time, 
not  less  than  one  and  a  half  millions." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SURVEY   OP   COUNTIES   CONTINUED. — THE   KANAWHA 
VALLEY. 

fTlHEKE  are  few  localities  promising  more  attrac- 
-L  tions  to  industrial  enterprise,  or  higher  rewards  to 
free  labor,  than  the  Kanawha  Valley  of  "West  Virginia. 
Climate,  soil,  timber,  fuel  (wood  above  and  coal  be- 
low), minerals  in  variety,  water-power,  navigation  two 
thousand  miles  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  to  all  the 
tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  conspire  to  render  this 
valley,  even  now  animated  with  the  earlier  sights 
and  sounds  of  developing  industries,  the  future  home 
of  mechanical  skill  and  intelligent  labor,  and  conse- 
quent refinement,  wealth,  contentment,  virtue,  and 
happiness. 

Its  climate  is  mild  and  agreeable,  with  heat  less 
intense  in  summer  than  at  Washington  or  Baltimore, 
and  a  winter  temperature  comparing  favorably  in 
mildness  with  that  of  Louisville  and  St.  Louis. 

The  distribution  of  rain  through  the  different 
seasons  is  remarkably  uniform,  being  not  far  from 
eight  inches  rain-fall  in  each  of  the  seasons  —  spring, 
summer,  and  autumn — and  scarcely  more  than  ten 
during  the  winter,  or  about  thirty-six  inches  for  the 
year. 

The  centre  of  the  lower  valley,  or  basin  of  the 
Great  Kanawha,  is  in  latitude  38°.  The  extreme 

(112) 


THE    KANAWHA   VALLEY.  113 

length  of  the  river  (considering  the  "N"ew  River"  a 
part  of  the  Kanawha,  as  it  is  in  all  but  the  name),  is 
about  four  hundred  miles.  It  rises  in  Ashe  County,  in 
North  Carolina,  and  traverses  or  forms  the  boundary 
of  six  counties  in  Virginia  and  eight  counties  in  West 
Virginia,  viz  :  Mercer,  Monroe,  Greenbrier,  Raleigh, 
Fayette,  Kanawha,  Putnam,  and  Mason.  It  first 
flows  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  Iron  Mountain, 
and  in  the  northern  part  of  Grayson  County,  Virginia, 
it  bursts  the  barriers  of  the  Iron  Mountain  and  con- 
tinues in  a  northeastern  direction  through  Carroll, 
Wythe,  and  Pulaski  counties,  where  it  turns  abruptly 
to  the  northwest,  winding  through  several  ridges  of 
the  Alleghanies,  as  if  instinctively  seeking  associa- 
tion with  the  future  of  "  la  belle  riviere,"  Ohio,  and 
the  great  "Father  of  Waters."  After  crossing  the 
Greenbrier  range,  and  passing  through  Fayette 
County,  West  Virginia,  it  receives  the  Gauley  River 
from  the  right,  spreads  into  a  broad  expanse  of  five 
hundred  yards,  and  assumes  the  dignity  of  the  Great 
Kanawha.  Here,  two  miles  below  the  junction,  and  / 
more  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the  Ohio,  the  stream  / 
is  precipitated  twenty-two  feet  over  a  ledge  of  rocks,  i 
with  a  total  descent  of  fifty  feet,  including  rapids  and 
perpendicular  falls,  placing  a  limit  to  steamboat  navi- 
gation, and  also  furnishing  one  of  the  best  water 
powers  in  the  world. 

The  area  drained  by  this  noble  river  is  stated  to  be 
more  than  ten  thousand  square  miles — a  territory  a 
little  larger  than  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
in  this  valley,  a  manufacturer  previous  to  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  asserts  that,  so  abundant  was  the  coal 
10* 


114  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

in  his  vicinity  (on  Coal  River,  a  branch  of  the  Kana- 
wha),  that  it  could  be  mined  and  placed  in  his  factory 
at  a  cost  of  forty-five  cents  per  ton.  Of  this  coal  there 
are  "four  seams  above  water  level,  within  a  vertical 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  forty  feet,  giving  an 
aggregate  thickness  of  seventeen  feet,  or  twenty-five 
thousand  tons  of  coal  to  the  acre,  consisting  of  gray 
splint,  rich  bituminous,  block  splint,  birdseye  cannel, 
steam  and  smiths'  coal."  This  is  within  ten  miles 
of  Charleston,  on  Navigation. 

With  such  mines  of  undeveloped  wealth,  above  and 
below  the  soil,  and  in  water-power,  and  in  facilities 
for  a  highly  developed  agriculture,  a  great  impetus 
will  be  given  to  enterprise  when  industry  resumes 
its  wonted  channels,  under  the  new  State  organiza- 
tion. The  salt  and  iron,  coal  and  petroleum,  which 
exist  in  almost  fabulous  abundance,  will  occupy  the 
ready  capital  and  willing  labor  of  tens  of  thousands 
of  thriving  citizens ;  and  manufactures  will  flourish, 
and  agriculture  advance,  and  the  wilderness  of  the 
past,  full  of  floral  beauty,  and  lavish  with  wild  pro- 
fusion as  it  has  been,  will  blossom  with  a  sweeter 
fragrance  and  a  richer  magnificence  under  the  magic 
touches  of  the  hand  of  free  and  intelligent  labor. 
"With  coal  at  forty-five  cents  per  ton,  or  whatever  the 
cost  of  mining  may  prove  under  advanced  prices,  and 
iron  in  almost  equal  cheapness,  the  best  of  timber 
for  the  cutting  and  hauling,  oil  defying  facilities  for 
cooperage,  abundant  harvests  from  fertile  soils,  and  a 
magnificent  river  to  float  the  products  of  industry  to 
market — what  a  region  in  which  to  manufacture  the 
sugar  mills  and  reapers  and  other  implements  of 
western  agriculture ! 


THE    KANAWHA   VALLEY.  115 

Mercer  County,  perched  upon  the  slope  of  the 
Alleghanies,  is  drained  by  the  New  or  Kanawha 
River  and  several  small  tributaries.  Great  Flat-top 
Mountain  extends  along  the  northwest  border.  Ex- 
cellent pasturage  exists  wherever  forests  are  girdled 
or  felled.  But  one-sixth  of  its  farms  are  improved, 
yet  its  yearly  exhibit  of  animals  slaughtered  is  fifty- 
eight  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  dollars, 
and  its  corn  amounts  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-four  bushels ;  wheat, 
forty-three  -thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 
bushels ;  and  oats,  fifty- five  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty-three  bushels.  Its  capital  is  Princeton. 
The  soil  is  mainly  limestone,  unsurpassed  for  pas- 
turage, and  yielding  fine  crops  of  wheat. 

Monroe,  next  to  Kanawha  and  Greenbrier,  is  the 
most  populous  of  this  group.  South  of  Greenbrier, 
rising  to  the  Alleghanian  summit  on  the  east,  it  has 
a  very  similar  soil  and  climate,  a  like  variety  of 
mineral  springs,  and  enjoys  a  like  celebrity  as  a  cool 
and  healthful  mountain  region,  with  good  water,  a 
bracing  atmosphere,  beautiful  scenery,  and  rural 
plenty  universally  enjoyed.  The  New  or  Upper 
Kanawha  and  the  Greenbrier  Rivers  furnish  its 
drainage.  Union  is  the  county-town. 

Greenbrier  County  was  settled  during  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  in  1777.  It  is  a  mountainous  region, 
yet  possessing  a  mild  climate ;  is  fertile,  and  a  por- 
tion of  its  lands  highly  improved,  especially  in  the 
valley  of  the  Greenbrier. 

Lewisburg,  the  county-seat,  is  the  site  of  an  old 
frontier  fort,  and  was  named  for  General  Lewis,  being 
the  place  of  rendezvous  for  his  army  before  the  battle 


116  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

of  Point  Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha,  ou 
the  Ohio.  It  is  a  fine  location  for  a  town — a  beau- 
tiful and  fertile  prairie,  originally  called  "the 
Savanna." 

The  famous  "White  Sulphur  Spring  is  situated  a 
few  miles  west  of  the  height  of  the  Alleghany,  in  a 
beautiful  valley  of  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  gradually 
widening  in  graceful  undulations  westward.  This 
was  the  great  pleasure-resort  of  the  South  before  the 
war,  swarming  with  visitors,  the  many  in  search  of 
amusement,  some  courting  the  goddess  Hygeia, 
pledging  her  often  in  full  bumpers  dashed  with 
"  sulphate  of  lime,  sulphate  of  magnesia,  sulphate  of 
soda,  carbonate  of  lime,  carbonate  of  magnesia, 
chloride  of  magnesium,  chloride  of  sodium,  chloride 
of  calcium,  peroxide  of  iron,  phosphate  of  lime,  sul- 
phate and  hydrate  of  sodium,  precipitated  sulphur, 
iodine,"  and  flavored  with  various  gases.  It  is  not 
strange  that  dyspepsia,  scrofula,  rheumatism,  and 
neuralgia  should  flee  at  the  approach  of  a  drug 
depository  in  epitome. 

The  Blue  Sulphur  Spring  has  been  a  popular  resort. 
It  is  a  bold  spring,  flowing  a  half  gallon  per  minute. 

This  county  occupies  a  depression  of  the  Alleghany 
range,  the  mountain  summits  scarcely  more  than  two 
thousand  feet  high,  and  the  mean  elevation  of  the 
arable  lands  of  the  county  fifteen  hundred.  The  soil 
is,  much  of  it,  strongly  impregnated  with  lime,  and 
consists  mainly  of  a  rich,  black,  friable  loam.  Such 
soils,  in  the  southern  slopes  of  hills  and  in  the  valley 
of  the  Greenbrier,  produce  abundant  crops  of  maize, 
ordinarily  from  thirty  to  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  with 
careless  culture,  and  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 


THE    KANAWHA   VALLEY.  117 

bushels  on  the  best  locations,  with  skilful  manage- 
ment The  soil  and  climate  peculiarly  adapt  this 
region  to  the  purposes  of  the  grazier.  If  a  ray  of 
sunlight  can  reach  a  spot  in  the  densest  forest,  that 
surface  soon  becomes  green  with  the  blue-grass  sod. 
Thousands  of  cattle  yearly  depasture  these  mountain 
plains  and  slopes. 

It  is  not  alone  to  its  mineral  waters  that  the  attrac- 
tions of  this  region  are  due.  The  balmy  breath  of 
spring  invades  the  atmosphere  of  summer ;  pleasura- 
ble exhilaration  tempers  the  sultriest  of  July  days ; 
the  blue-grass  maintains  its  rank  luxuriance  through 
the  dryest  season ;  and  scenes  of  rural  beauty,  out- 
spread upon  those  elevated  plains  and  mountain 
slopes,  fill  the  eye  with  their  unpretending  magnifi- 
cence. Thousands  in  each  summer  season  gather 
here  from  the  poisoned  atmosphere  of  cities. 

Raleigh,  with  one  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  in  farms,  has  but 
eleven  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres 
which  are  improved ;  consequently  the  average  value 
is  reduced  to  three  dollars  and  fifty-four  cents.  Its 
cereals  make  a  proportionally  small  exhibit.  Quite 
a  prominent  place  is  given  to  tobacco,  of  which 
thirty-four  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
pounds  are  cured.  Of  flax,  two  thousand  and  two 
pounds  are  prepared.  It  is  drained  by  the  head 
streams  of  Coal  River,  and  bounded  on  the  east  by 
New  River,  and  slopes  toward  the  northwest.  This 
county  was  named  for  Sir  "Walter  Raleigh,  and  was 
formed  from  a  part  of  Fayette. 

Fayette  lies  next  to  Raleigh,  upon  the  river,  and 
above  Kanawha.  Its  county-scat  is  Fayetteville. 


118  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  Gauley  makes  its  junction  here  with  the  New 
River.  The  famous  Falls  of  the  Gauley  occur  a  little 
below  the  junction.  Its  mineral  and  agricultural 
advantages  are  attracting  the  attention  of  capitalists 
abroad,  and  will  secure  immigration  and  rapid  im- 
provement. 

Kanawha,  the  first  of  the  three  counties  below  the 
Falls,  has  an  area  of  eleven  hundred  and  seventy-six 
square  miles,  beautifully  diversified  with  mountains, 
hills,  and  fertile  valleys ;  the  highlands  inexhaustible 
with  coal,  and  the  valleys  salt  with  abundant  saline 
springs.  This  area  is  intersected  by  the  Elk,  Coal, 
and  Pocotalico  Eivers,  which  afford  enlarged  facili- 
ties for  manufacturing  and  transportation  of  the 
mineral  treasures  beneath  the  soil,  the  products  of 
its  cultivation,  and  the  timber  which  towers  above 
it.  Its  population  was  nearly  sixteen  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty  in  1860,  and  its  assessed  valuation 
about  three  and  a  half  millions. 

This  county  is  as  old  as  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, having  been  formed  from  Greenbrier  and 
Montgomery  in  1789.  The  first  settlement  was  made 
some  twenty  males  above  Charleston,  at  a  stream  now 
known  as  Kelly's  Creek.  Kanawha  is  said  to  be,  in 
Indian  dialect,  the  "River  of  the  "Woods,"  its  tribu- 
tary Pocotalico  signifying  "Plenty  of  Fat  Doe."  It 
was,  and  is,  a  country  of  magnificent  forests,  and 
abounded  in  bear,  buffalo,  deer,  raccoons,  and  other 
game,  upon  which  the  early  settlers  mainly  subsisted. 
Charleston,  the  principal  town,  is  situated  upon 
the  north  bank  of  the  Kanawha,  about  three  hun- 
dred miles  from  Richmond,  and  less  than  fifty  from 
the  Ohio  River.  The  river  at  this  point  is  a  broad  and 


THE    KANAWHA   VALLEY.  119 

beautiful  stream,  little  less  than  a  thousand  feet  in 
breadth,  affording  navigation  from  the  falls  to  the 
Ohio  in  all  except  the  dryest  season  of  the  year. 
Beautiful  vistas  are  opened  to  the  delighted  vision  in 
many  portions  of  this  valley ;  sweet  scenes  of  rural 
beauty  captivate  the  traveller's  eye  at  many  points, 
and  unfold  a  panorama  of  industry  and  thrift,  in 
which  flocks  and  herds  give  motion  and  variety  to 
the  broad  expanse  of  field  and  forest,  aspiring  hill, 
and  lowly  valley. 

Some  six  miles  above  Charleston  was  the  Big  Lick, 
frequented  for  its  salt,  both  by  the  wild  beasts  and 
wilder  Indians.  Remains  of  pottery,  evidently  used 
for  evaporating  the  brine,  have  often  been  discovered. 
The  first  salt  well  sunk  here  was  in  1809.  From  one 
to  three  millions  of  bushels  of  salt  annually  have  for 
a  long  period  been  manufactured  in  this  vicinity,  of 
which  mention  is  made  in  another  chapter. 

Putnam  has  a  fine  location  between  Kanawha  and 
Mason,  being  the  second  county  from  the  river.  It 
is  intersected  centrally  by  the  Great  Kanawha,  which 
flows  here  in  a  northwesterly  direction.  Its  soil  is 
fertile,  the  bottom  lands  very  productive,  and  the  hills 
combine  superior  advantages  for  the  growrth  of  grapes 
or  other  fruits.  Its  location,  soil  and  minerals,  render 
its  real  estate  highly  eligible  for  investment. 

Mason  County  was  formed  in  1804,  from  Kanawha. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Kanawha  River, 
and  on  the  west  by  the  Ohio.  The  junction  of  these 
streams  is  historical  ground,  being  the  battle-ground 
of  the  famous  contest  of  Point  Pleasant,  between  the 
pioneers  and  the  Indians  in  1774.  The  forces  of  the 
whites,  numbering  eleven  hundred,  were  led  by  Gen. 


120  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Andrew  Lewis.  The  Indians,  led  by  the  noted  war- 
rior Cornstalk,  included  the  braves  of  the  Shawnee, 
Delaware,  Mingo,  and  Wyandotte  tribes.  It  was  a 
sanguinary  fight,  in  which  Indians  and  whites,  by 
turns,  charged  with  dauntless  impetuosity,  and  re- 
treated bravely,  confronting  desperate  and  over- 
powering assaults,  and  in  which  the  Indians,  almost 
victors,  were  flanked  and  compelled  to  flee  from  their 
strong  line  on  Crooked  Creek,  extending  almost 
across  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Kanawha.  Col.  Charles 
Lewis  and  Col.  Field  were  killed,  and  several  cap- 
tains and  lieutenants  —  in  all  seventy-five  killed  and 
one  hundred  and  forty  wounded. 

This  county  has  about  fifty  miles  of  bottom  lands 
on  the  Ohio,  and  more  than  thirty  on  the  Kanawha 
River,  with  other  low-lying  or  alluvial  lands,  together 
constituting  an  area  of  good  farming  lands,  perhaps 
unsurpassed  by  any  other  county.  The  coal  and  salt 
of  this  region  are  attracting  much  attention,  from  the 
fact  that  no  other  section  of  the  Ohio  River,  from 
Wheeling  to  Cincinnati,  possesses  so  valuable  coal 
property  in  convenient  proximity  to  the  river.  Op- 
posite, upon  the  Ohio  shore,  coal  mining  has  been 
extensively  and  profitably  prosecuted.  Several  new 
companies,  owning  large  tracts  of  coal  lands,  are 
already  organized  in  this  county  and  vicinity,  and 
are  preparing  to  prosecute  the  enterprise  with  vigor. 
The  salt  at  Hartford  City  and  New  Haven,  has  long 
been  a  source  of  revenue,  and  a  provision  of  profitable 
industry.  New  coal  Banks  have  recently  been  opened 
near  "West  Columbia,  at  which  point  increased  activ- 
ity is  manifested  in  the  old  mines. 

The  four  lower  counties  of  the  valley,  immediately 


THE    KANAWHA   VALLEY. 


121 


connected  with  the  river,  have  a  population  of  nearly 
forty  thousand,  of  whom  little  more  than  three  thou- 
sand were  slaves  in  1860.  As  this  section  of  West 
Virginia  contained  a  large  portion  of  all  the  slaves 
embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  new  State,  it  may 
be  well,  as  a  relic  of  the  old  regime,  to  include  this 
element  in  the  population,  which  was  as  follows,  in 
1860: 


Counties. 

Whites. 

Increase  of 
free  popula- 
tion since 
1850. 

Slaves. 

Aggregate 
population. 

6,428 

2,410 

362 

6  819 

Monroe  

9,536 

464 

1,114 

10,757 

Greenbrier  

10,500 

1,950 

1,525 

12,211 

Raleigh  

3,291 

1,562 

57 

3,367 

5,716 

1,936 

271 

5  997 

13,785 

1,786 

2,184 

16  150 

5,708 

1,015 

580 

6  301 

8,750 

376 

9  173 

Total  

63  714 

11  034 

6  469 

70  775 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  agricultural 
statistics  of  the  Kanawha  Valley  of  West  Virginia, 
comprising  the  above  eight  counties : 

Area  in  square  miles     ....  4,746 

Acres  of  improved  land     .            .            .  426,235 

Acres  of  unimproved  land       .            .             .  1,352,802 

Acres  of  unassessed  or  waste  lands          .  1,256,403 
Value  of  farms.            .            .            .            .$16,093,679 

Average  value  of  farm  lands  per  acre      .  $9  03 

Value  of  farm  implements       .            .            .  $334,455 

Number  of  horses  ....  14,220 

Number  of  cattle          ....  55,588 

Number  of  sheep   ....  65,589 


*  Decrease  in  free  population,  89. 


122 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


Number  of  swine 
Value  of  live  stock 
Bushels  of  wheat 
Bushels  of  rye 
Bushels  of  buckwheat 
Bushels  of  Indian  corn 
Bushels  of  oats 
Pounds  of  flax 
Pounds  of  tobacco 
Pounds  of  wool 
Bushels  of  Irish  potatoes 
Bushels  of  sweet  potatoes 
Pounds  of  butter 
Pounds  of  cheese    . 
Tons  of  hay 
Gallons  of  wine 
Pounds  of  maple  sugar 
Gallons  of  maple  molasses 
Gallons  of  sorghum  molasses 
Pounds  of  honey    . 
Value  of  orchard  products 
Value  of  home  manufactures 
Value  of  slaughtered  animals 


70,350 

$2,303,280 

476,286 

33,852 

30,659 

1,487.  si'S 

335,556 

26.866 

1,247,365 

134.416 

95.4  H2 

12^112 

658,562 

20,144 

19,529 

478 

153,362 

14,730 

7,902 

74.896 

$28^404 

6139^481 

8477,589 


It  appears  from  the  above  that  scarcely  half  the 
area  is  included  in  farms,  and  about  one-seventh  in 
actual  cultivation.  A  great  variety  of  products  is 
shown,  embracing  almost  everything  cultivated  in 
temperate  latitudes.  It  seems  literally  a  land  of  milk 
and  honey,  wine  and  oil. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SURVEY  OP  COUNTIES  CONTINUED.  —  THE  SOUTHERN 
GROUP. 

THE  counties  south  of  the  Kanawha  —  Boone, 
Cabell,  Wayne,  Logan,  Wyoming,  and  McDowell 
— are  mountainous,  covered  in  great  part  with  original 
forests  heavily  timbered,  well  watered  by  the  Guyan- 
dotte, Sandy,  and  other  rivers,  and  exceedingly  rich  in 
iron,  coal,  and  other  minerals.  The  minerals  will  at 
some  not  distant  day  be  valuable,  and  the  soils  avail- 
able for  the  production  of  fruit,  wool,  and  butcher's 
meat.  It  is  intersected  by  mountains  in  continuation 
of  the  Cumberland  range,  and  nearly  all  of  it  included 
in  the  great  coal  measures  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 

The  Guyandotte  River  region  abounds  in  bitumi- 
nous coal,  some  of  which,  upon  analysis,  is  shown  to 
contain  but  one  and  a  half  per  cent,  of  refuse  or  ash — 
rivalling  the  best  Lancashire  for  illuminating  purposes. 
Cannel  coal  of  excellent  quality  exists  here  in  the  hills, 
and  in  the  river  bed,  at  different  altitudes.  Professor 
Rogers  once  called  the  attention  of  the  board  of  public 
works  of  Virginia  to  the  extraordinary  mineral  wealth 
of  this  region.  Other  explorers  have  made  equally 
favorable  reports,  making  the  principal  coal  vein  ten 
feet  in  thickness,  lying  above  the  water  level,  and 
cropping  out  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 

All  the  counties  of  the  southern  group  are  rich  in 
coal  of  various  qualities,  including  the  best  caunel. 

(128J 


124  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  coal  of  this  region,  as  will  be  seen  from  samples 
described  is  remarkable  for  the  amount  of  oil  which 
it  contains. 

Not  only  coal,  but  iron,  lead,  arsenic,  sulphur,  salt, 
gypsum,  and  even  silver,  are  claimed  as  a  part  of  the 
resources  of  this  group.  Rough  as  the  surface  seems, 
a  large  population  will  one  day  be  sustained,  engaged 
in  mining,  manufactures,  and  the  various  branches  of 
agriculture,  especially  in  pastoral  pursuits. 

The  soil  of  the  narrow  "bottoms,"  partly  alluvial, 
is  generally  strongly  impregnated  with  lime,  some- 
times pretty  stiff  with  clay,  and  quite  productive.  It 
is  a  durable  soil,  and  in  some  localities  has  been 

'  s 

thoroughly  tested  by  many  years  of  defective  culture. 
The  upland  soil  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  valleys, 
and  the  mountains  preserve  their  fertility  to  the  sum- 
mits, affording  excellent  pastures  of  natural  blue 
grass  wherever  the  smallest  space  is  cleared  for  it, 
and  a  gleam  of  sunlight  can  fall  upon  it.  Here,  as 
elsewhere  in  the  State,  the  soil  of  the  north  sides  of 
the  mountains  is  a  rich  loose  loam,  while  on  the  south 
the  surface  seems  to  have  been  denuded  of  its  humus, 
leaving  the  underlying  stratum,  a  clay  loam,  or  mix- 
ture of  clay  and  shale,  with  more  or  less  of  lime. 
This  peculiarity  has  been  attributed  by  some  to  the 
effect  of  the  sun's  rays  striking  vertically  upon  the 
south  hill  sides. 

Boone  County  is  drained  by  Coal  and  Little  Rivers 
and  Laurel  Creek.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Daniel 
Boone,  and  is  yet  to  a  great  extent  as  wild  a  forest  as 
that  adventurous  pioneer  could  desire.  Yet  it  has 
fifteen  thousand  and  fifty-four  improved  acres,  and 
two  hundred  and  eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred 


THE    SOUTHERN   GROUP.  125 

and  seventy-three  unimproved  in  farms,  valued  at 
two  dollars  twenty-two  cents  per  acre.  Its  live  stock 
is  valued  at  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  five 
hundred  and  eighty-nine  dollars ;  its  corn  yields  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eight  bushels,  about  ten  bushels  to  every  acre  of  im- 
proved land,  in  addition  to  a  variety  of  other  farm 
products,  including  hay  and  some  pasturage,  although 
woods  and  pastures  are  adequate  to  a  fair  support  of 
stock  in  summer,  and  a  partial  supply  of  winter  feed. 
A  good  idea  of  the  dependence  placed  upon  winter 
pasturage  and  corn  fodder  may  be  had  from  the  fact 
that  only  seventy-four  tons  of  hay  are  cured  for  the 
use  of  eighty-nine  hundred  and  ninety-four  farm 
animals  —  a  surfeit  of  sixteen  pounds  to  each  animal 
for  the  winter !  This  certainly  does  not  indicate  a 
poverty  of  pasturage,  or  extreme  severity  of  weather 
or  depth  of  snows.  Again,  there  is  produced  thirty 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-nine  dollars  from 
slaughtered  animals,  about  two  dollars  per  acre  for 
the  entire  area  of  improved  lands,  exclusive  of  forests, 
in  addition  to  other  farm  products. 

"Wayne  County  occupies  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  State,  and  is  separated  from  Kentucky  by  Sandy 
River.  The  surface  is  much  broken,  well  covered 
with  valuable  timber,  affording  some  excellent  soil ; 
and  the  earth  beneath  is  rich  with  a  variety  of  coals, 
including  cannel.  It  is  here  that  the  enterprise  of 
Eli  Thayer  was  inaugurated,  at  Ceredo,  which  termi- 
nated in  failure  from  causes  having  no  connection 
with  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  resources  there  ready 
for  development. 

Cabell  County,  on  the  Ohio  Hiver,  is  intersected  by 
11* 


126  WEST   VIKGINIA. 

the  Guyandotte  Biver,  and  has  more  improved  lands 
than  Boone ;  this  degree  of  improvement,  small  as  it 
is,  with  somewhat  better  facilities  for  transportation, 
makes  the  assessed  value  of  farms  about  ten  dollars 
per  acre.  It  has  some  fertile  lands ;  is  a  fine  region 
for  fruit,  and  already  derives  some  revenue  from 
orchards ;  grows  sorghum  finely,  sweet  potatoes,  &c. 
This  county  is  also  very  rich  in  minerals.  Cabell 
was  organized  as  a  county  in  1809,  and  was  taken 
from  Kanawha.  It  took  its  name  from  Governor 
"William  H.  Cabell.  Barboursville,  the  county-seat, 
is  about  seven  miles  from  the  Ohio,  upon  the  Guyan- 
dotte River.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1796 
at  Green  Bottom.  Upon  these  beautiful  plains  re- 
main the  vestiges  of  an  ancient  race,  indicative  of  a 
civilization  far  superior  to  that  of  the  most  advanced 
of  known  Indian  races.  In  Howe's  Historical  Col- 
lections is  this  description :  "  The  traces  of  a  regular, 
compact,  and  populous  city,  with  streets  running 
parallel  with  the  Ohio  River,  and  crossing  and  inter- 
secting each  other  at  right  angles,  covering  a  space 
of  nearly  half  a  mile,  as  well  as  the  superficial  dimen- 
sions of  many  of  the  houses,  are  apparent,  and  well 
defined.  Axes  and  saws  of  a  unique  form  —  the  for- 
mer of  iron,  the  latter  of  copper  —  as  well  as  other 
implements  of  the  mechanic  arts  have  been  found." 

Logan,  Wyoming,  and  McDowell  are  drained  by 
the  tributaries  of  the  Sandy,  and  by  the  Guyandotte, 
and  occupy  the  extreme  south  of  West  Virginia. 
This  region  is  rough,  but  fertile,  rich  in  woods  and 
mines,  scarcely  available  or  valuable  at  present  for 
want  of  water  or  other  cheap  transportation.  It  is 
immediately  valuable,  however,  for  wool-growing. 


THE   SOUTHERN   GROUP.  127 

Lying  between  the  latitude  of  37°  and  38°,  on  the 
same  parallel  with  the  southern  point  of  Illinois, 
and  yet  elevated  above  miasmatic  influences  —  a 
country  of  genial  sunshine  and  bracing  air,  of  trout- 
brooks  and  running  streams  —  it  is  eminently  a  fit 
and  healthful  locality  for  sheep.  Ample  pasturage 
for  extensive  flocks  is  afforded  in  the  openings  of  the 
forest,  in  which  nutricious  grasses  spring  up  sponta- 
neously, and  grow  vigorously.  A  commencement 
has  been  made,  and  this  district,  of  eight  counties, 
unsettled  as  it  is,  and  comparatively  unpeopled,  had, 
in  1860,  thirty-six  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  sheep,  producing  sixty-five  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-three  pounds  of  wool.  This  does 
not  fairly  exhibit  the  wool-producing  ability  of  the 
region,  as  the  sheep,  roaming  in  the  forests,  are  little 
cared  for,  and  lose  much  of  their  wool  upon  bushes 
and  briars  when  warm  weather  comes,  and  the  pro- 
per shearing  time  is  neglected  or  delayed.  It  is  ac- 
knowledged by  all  acquainted  with  this  section  that 
the  cost  of  keeping  sheep  here  is  merely  nominal,  and 
their  growth  and  condition  as  favorable  to  profit  as 
could  be  desired. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SURVEY  OP  COUNTIES  CONTINUED.  —  THE  CENTRAL  GROUP. 

HAVING-  traversed  the  borders  of  the  State,  let 
the  reader  glance  at  the  broad  area  embraced 
in  the  interior  counties,  which  are  drained  by  the 
Monongahela  and  its  branches,  the  Little  Kanawha, 
the  Elk,  and  the  Gauley,  with  numerous  smaller 
streams,  which  mingle  with  the  waters  of  the  Ohio 
or  the  Kanawha.  It  is  here  that  the  prices  of  lands 
are  yet  reasonable ;  that  general  agriculture  promises 
to  be  most  remunerative ;  that  improvement  is  rife ; 
and  here,  too,  abundance  of  coal  and  iron  and  petro- 
leum is  found  in  addition  to  the  wealth  of  the  surface. 
The  capital  of  the  State  may  be  located  here ;  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  cuts  this  section  in  two 
directions,  and  a  road  cutting  the  State  longitudinally 
is  already  contemplated,  and  its  commencement  and 
completion  cannot  be  far  in  the  future. 

The  surface  of  this  section  is  varied.  Like  most 
of  the  State  it  is  uneven,  hilly,  broken,  and  declivitous 
in  different  localities,  with  a  small  per  centage  of 
level  bottom  lands,  and  smaller  still  of  level  uplands. 
The  soil  is  good,  coming  naturally  into  grass,  and 
yielding  all  farm  products  well.  The  northern  slopes 
of  the  hills  contain  more  of  humus  than  the  southern, 
and  produce  most  of  the  corn,  while  the  southern 

(128) 


THE    CENTRAL    GROUP.  129 

slopes  are  stiffer  and  more  tenacious,  as  though  par- 
tially denuded  of  vegetable  mould  by  washing,  by 
some  old-time  abrasion,  or  other  cause,  and  therefore 
suited  best  to  wheat  culture. 

Some  items  relative  to  this  section  have  been 
kindly  furnished  by  J.  H.  Diss  Debar,  of  St.  Clara 
Colony,  Doddridge  County,  Commissioner  of  Emi- 
gration for  "West  Virginia,  who  has  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantages of  years  of  close  and  intelligent  observation 
and  experience.  This  colony  is  itself  an  illustration 
of  the  remunerative  character  of  agricultural  effort 
and  industry  expended  upon  these  lands.  In  a  few 
years  a  few  straggling  pioneers  have  given  place  to 
fifty  thriving  families ;  and  Irish  and  German  immi- 
grants, with  means  to  procure  a  plough  and  a  single 
cow,  have  been  able  to  stock  and  pay  for  their  farms, 
and  live  in  peace  and  plenty.  The  following  extracts 
show  the  price  and  character  of  farm  lands  in  this 
district,  prior  to  the  recent  upward  movement  of 
prices  in  consequence  of  oil  operations  : 

"  The  main  valleys  of  the  west  fork  of  Tygart's  Yalley 
River,  both  being  branches  of  the  Monongahela,  and  to 
some  extent  the  valleys  of  both  Kanawhas,  contain  bot- 
tom lands  equal  in  quality,  though  not  in  breadth,  to 
those  of  the  Ohio,  and  on  the  former  stream,  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Lewis,  Barbour,  Upshur,  Harrison,  Taylor, 
Marion,  and  Monongalia,  the  hills  in  many  instances 
rise  from  the  valleys  in  more  gentle  slopes,  and  present 
a  greater  and  superior  arable  surface  than  those  along 
the  Ohio  Eiver.  Farms  in  those  counties,  with  about 
one-third  timbered  land,  range  from  twenty-five  to  fifty 
dollars  per  acre,  and  are  amply  worth  it. 

"  On  the  smaller  valleys  of  tributary  streams  the  price 
of  farnas  in  the  above  named  counties,  similarly  propor- 
tioned as  to  cleared  and  unimproved  land,  vary  from 


130  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

fifteen  to  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre;  and  further 
towards  the  heads  of  streams,  and  more  remote  from 
thoi'oughfares,  from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  per  acre. 

"  Many  farms,  chiefly  hill-land,  but  all  fit  for  grazing 
and  sufficiently  watered,  with  primitive  home  improve- 
ments, can  yet  be  had  at  from  five  to  ten  dollars  per  acre, 
with  twenty  to  twenty-five  acres  in  a  hundred,  more  or 
less,  prepared  for  cultivation. 

"  Large  tracts  of  wild  land  are  not  found  in  any  of  the 
above  named  counties,  except  in  Upshur  and  Lewis, 
where  timbered  mountains,  containing  some  table  land 
fit  for  small  grains  and  grass,  can  be  bought  at  from  two 
to  four  dollars  per  acre.  In  the  other  counties  very 
little  timbered  land,  fit  in  part  for  the  plough,  can  be 
bought  for  less  than  five  cfr  six  dollars  per  acre,  and  some 
of  it  not  under  ten  to  twelve  dollars. 
•  ';  The  counties  of  Wirt,  Ritchie,  Doddridge,  Roane, 
Calhoun,  Grilmer,  and  Braxton,  are  not  watered  by 
streams  presenting  extensive  bottoms,  but  contain  very 
little  land  absolutely  worthless.  The  surface  of  these 
counties  varies  from  undulating  or  rolling  to  hilly,  and 
the  proportion  of  bottom  to  hill  may  be  safely  set  down 
as  from  five  to  fifteen  per  cent.  •  As  a  general  rule,  lands 
of  the  same  quality  are  rated  lower  in  the  latter  than  in 
the  first  named  counties,  on  account  of  their  inferior  state 
of  improvement. 

"  Farms  with  about  thirty  per  cent,  cleared  can  be 
bought  here  for  six  to  ten  dollars  per  acre,  according  to 
quality  or  proximity  to  market  or  roads.  Wild  lands, 
in  lots  to  suit  purchasers,  from  two  to  eight  dollars  per 
acre.  Lands  near  the  Northwestern  Branch  Railroad 
bring  comparatively  high  prices,  in  part  from  the  value 
of  the  timber,  which  is  generally  of  superior  growth  and 
quality.  Mineral  lands  are  higher. 

"  A  correct  statement  of  the  average  amount  of  grain 
produced  per  acre,  in  any  given  county  of  the  State, 
would  not  give  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  producing 
capacity  of  our  soil,  because  on  all  recently  cleared  land, 
stumps,  roots,  and  loose  stones  on  the  surface,  and  also 
the  vermin  of  the  adjacent  forest,  materially  contribute 
to  diminish  the  yield  to  be  expected  from  the  quality  of 
the  soil;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  wide  differ- 


THE   CENTRAL    GROUP.  131 

enco  in  professional  skill  and  industry  among  our  farmers. 
We  have  still  among  us  a  goodly  number  of  the  old  hun- 
ter pioneers,  or  of  their  immediate  descendants,  who  are 
content  to  live  almost  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  never 
used  any  other  plough  but  the  one-horse  shovel. 

"  The  bottoms  of  rivers,  with  few  exceptions,  yield, 
under  good  cultivation,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  bushels 
of  corn,  and  an  average  of  about  twenty  bushels  of  wheat, 
from  twenty  to  thirty-five  of  rye  and  oats,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  bushels  potatoes,  and  from  two 
to  two  and  a  half  tons  of  timothy  hay.  Turnips  sown 
on  fresh  cleared  land,  barely  scarred  by  the  shovel-plough, 
have  been  known  to  produce  near  eight  hundred  per 
acre.  Tobacco,  on  new-made  land,  also  proves  to  be  very 
remunerative,  and  certainly  grows  most  luxuriantly, 
though  I  have  not  at  hand  the  figures  under  this  head  to 
show  cash  results. 

"Hillside  lands  of  the  same  quality  of  those  bottoms, 
except  in  depth,  must  naturally  yield  less  on  account  of 
their  unadaptedness  to  the  same  thorough  cultivation, 
and  also  because  of  the  diminished  number  of  plants 
growing  on  declivities,  yet  a  great  portion  of  those  lands, 
when  lying  towards  the  sun,  produce  for  many  years  in 
succession  from  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  of  corn,  and  other 
grain  in  proportion.  In  the  yield  of  grass,  this  difference 
is  not  so  sensible,  and  rolling  or  steep  lands  are  generally 
sown  in  grass  after  two  or  three  grain  crops,  and  devoted 
to  grazing. 

"The  yield  of  wheat,  which  does  not  average  over 
thirteen  or  fifteen  bushels  per  acre  in  the  rougher  por- 
tions of  the  State,  would  be  greater  if  its  cultivation  was 
confined  to  limestone  land  or  to  dry  upland  or  table  land. 
As  it  is,  wheat  is  sown  there  on  rich  porous  soil,  in  order 
to  get  in  sod,  the  grass  seed  being  generally  sown  with 
it.  and  on  such  soil,  particularly  on  hill-sides,  and  when 
put  in  late  after  cutting  up  the  corn,  wheat  is  exposed 
to  freeze  out  during  a  severe  winter. 

"  When  devoted  to  grazing  and  in  good  sod,  more  or 
less  mixed  with  blue  grass,  which  comes  up  spontaneously 
on  limestone  land  and  old  grazed  pastures,  from  two  and 
one-half  to  three  acres  are  allowed  for  the  fattening  of  a 
three-year-old  steer  per  .season,  say  from  1st  of  April  to 


132  WEST   VIEGINIA. 

middle  or  end  of  August,  and1  the  weight  thus  gained  by 
the  animal  is  estimated  at  the  minimum  of  ten  dollars, 
ranging  from  that  to  fifteen  dollars,  while  the  latter 
figure  is  realized  on  many  cattle  grazed  from  March  till 
June  only,  when  properly  cared  for  during  the  preceding 
winter." 

The  grain  produced  is  uniformly  consumed  upon 
the  farms,  with  few  exceptions,  in  localities  favored 
by  river  transportation  with  good  facilities  for  reach- 
ing good  markets  and  high  prices.  Feeding  surplus 
grain  to  stock  is  wisely  preferred  to  selling  it,  not 
only  because  it  thus  transports  itself  to  the  railroad 
and  a  market  almost  without  trouble  or  expense,  but 
because  a  large  percentage  of  its  value  is  returned  to 
the  soil  as  manure,  furnishing  one  of  the  surest,  most 
feasible,  and  valuable  modes  of  fertilization  known. 
This  mode  of  manuring  must  ever  commend  itself  to 
"West  Virginia,  with  its  uneven  surface  and  liability 
to  wash,  which  will  tend  to  increase  with  increasing 
thoroughness  in  pulverization.  It  is  fair  to  say,  how- 
ever, that  the  excessive  liability  to  wash  existing  in 
some  soils  does  not  characterize  those  under  conside- 
ration. The  rearing  and  fattening  of  stock  is  destined 
to  be  the  principal  business  of  the  farmer,  as  it  is  the 
most  profitable  everywhere  —  a  fact  attested  by  the 
dependence  placed  upon  it  in  England  for  paying  the 
high  rents  of  that  country.  The  yield  of  the  cereals 
is  equal  to  the  average  throughout  the  west,  but  they 
are  less  remunerative  than  hay  and  grass,  except  in 
very  rare  instances  of  accidental  fluctuations  in  price. 

Mr.  Debar  refers  to  numerous  instances  in  his 
knowledge  in  which  the  fertility  of  the  soil  has  been 
tested  by  annual  products  for  fifteen  years  of  fifty  to 
seventy -five  bushels  of  corn  per  acre,  without  manure ; 


THE    CENTRAL    GROUP.  133 

then,  after  clover  two  or  three  years,  and  ploughing 
ten  or  twelve  inches  deep,  and  one  good  crop  of 
wheat,  it  has  yielded  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  tons 
of  hay  per  acre.  This  whole  region,  and  indeed  "West 
Virginia  generally,  though  particularly  adapted  to 
meat  and  wool  -producing,  dairying  and  fruit-grow- 
ing, is  suited  to  the  production  of  almost  every  pro- 
duct natural  to  the  temperate  zone,  while,  in  certain 
glades  and  mountain  heights,  buckwheat,  oats,  pota- 
toes, and  grass,  are  the  main  reliance ;  yet  throughout 
almost  the  entire  area  the  soil  is  well  adapted  to  corn, 
wheat,  oats,  buckwheat,  potatoes,  roots,  hemp,  flax, 
tobacco,  sugar-cane,  fruits,  and  grasses. 

Monongalia  County  lies  upon  the  Pennsylvania 
line.  Laurel  Ridge  rises  on  its  eastern  border,  and 
the  Monongahela  and  Cheat  Rivers  intersect  it.  The 
county-seat  is  Morgantown.  Among  its  exports  are 
cattle,  lumber,  flour,  and  iron,  which  are  transported 
both  by  railroad  and  steamboat.  It  is  an  enterprising, 
productive,  and  improving  section  of  the  State. 

Marion,  the  next  county  south,  is  also  drained  by 
the  Monongahela,  formed  here  by  the  confluence  of 
Tygart's  Valley  and  West  Fork  Rivers.  It  is  a  small 
county,  rich  in  coal  and  iron,  with  abundant  water- 
power,  magnificent  forests,  and  fine  pasturage.  Fair- 
mount,  a  pleasant  village  on  both  railroad  and  river, 
is  its  capital. 

Taylor  is  a  very  small  county,  embracing  an  area 
less  than  that  of  four  townships  of  Government 
surveys,  and  formed  from  Harrison,  Barbour,  and 
Marion.  It  is  prominent  as  the  point  at  which  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  bifurcates  to  Wheeling 
and  Parkersburg.  To  the  traveller  its  surroundings 
12 


134  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

are  picturesque,  but  very  forbidding  in  the  eye  of 
the  prairie  farmer  wandering  eastward.  It  has  a 
population  of  only  seven  thousand  four  hundred  and 
sixty-three,  yet  its  railway  facilities  have  given  to 
land  valuation  something  like  its  intrinsic  worth,  the 
average  of  farms  being  already  sixteen  dollars  and 
one  cent  per  acre.  Among  these  mountains  grow 
yearly  seventy-eight  thousand  and  one  bushels  of 
corn,  eighty  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
pounds  of  butter  are  produced,  and  three  thousand 
one  hundred  and  sixty  tons  of  hay  are  made,  and 
animals  are  slaughtered  to  the  value  of  twenty-two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  dollars. 
Grafton,  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  Parkersburg 
branch  with  the  main  stem  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad,  is  in  this  county. 

Barbour  County  lies  further  up  Tygart's  Valley 
River,  and  is  also  drained  by  Buckhannon  River  and 
Elk  Creek.  Philippa,  famed  as  the  opening  scene  of 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  is  the 
county-seat.  Its  assessed  valuation  averages  scarcely 
half  as  much  as  that  of  Taylor,  simply  because  it  is 
less  favored  in  facilities  for  transportation.  The 
fertility  of  its  soil  is  well  attested  by  one  hundred 
and  ninety-seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels  of  "corn,  and  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-three  dollars 
value  of  live  stock,  fifty-three  thousand  four  hundred 
and  fifty-two  dollars  value  of  slaughtered  animals, 
and  large  figures  generally  for  farm  products,  con- 
sidered with  reference  to  its  population  of  only  eight 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty-eight. 

This  county  is  claimed  to  be  the  scene  of  the  first 


THE   CENTRAL    GROUP.  135 

permanent  settlement  of  Northwestern  Virginia.  Two 
brothers,  John  and  Samuel  Pringle,  deserters  from 
Fort  Pitt,  went  up  Tygart's  Valley  River,  ascended 
its  right  fork,  or  Buckhannon  River,  and  sought  a 
home  in  a  hollow  sycamore  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey 
Run.  Here,  exposed  to  the  tomahawk  of  the  Indians, 
and  fearing  to  approach  the  bounds  of  civilization  at 
the  risk  of  arrest  as  deserters,  they  lived  for  several 
years,  surrounded  by  herds  of  buffalo  and  deer,  their 
ears  pierced  by  the  shrieks  of  panthers  and  the  howl- 
ing of  wolves,  if  not  attuned  to  the  melodies  of 
nature.  When  assured  of  the  return  of  peace,  they 
turned  their  backs  upon  their  forest  home,  but  re- 
turned in  1768,  from  the  South  Branch  of  the  Poto- 
mac, accompanied  by  friends,  who  eventually  estab- 
lished themselves  in  this  now  growing  settlement. 

The  county  was  formed  in  1843,  from  Harrison, 
Lewis,  and  Randolph. 

Taking  the  west  fork  of  the  Monongahela,  the 
reader  will  come  to  Harrison  County,  of  which 
Clarksburg  is  the  principal  town,  situated  upon  the 
Northwestern  Virginia  Railroad,  a  branch  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio.  It  possesses  a  limestone  soil,  fertile 
and  durable.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  improved  of  the 
inland  counties,  and  has  a  farm  valuation  of  four 
million  six  hundred  and  forty-two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-four  dollars,  exceeded  only  by 
that  of  Grcenbrier  and  Jefferson.  The  value  of  its 
live  stock  is  six  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars,  exceeded 
only  by  Hampshire  and  Greenbrier.  "With  such 
figures,  the  value  of  slaughtered  animals,  seventy- 
five  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-three  dollars, 


136  WEST  VIEGINIA. 

will  not  be  deemed  extraordinary.  In  corn,  of  which 
the  product  is  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  forty-six  bushels,  it  is  exceeded 
only  by  Hampshire  and  Jackson.  Clarksburg  is  the 
seat  of  a  fine  trade  in  coal.  It  also  contains  valuable 
iron  ore.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  a  former  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia. 

Lewis  is  directly  south  of  Harrison,  higher  up  on 
the  same  stream;  produces  four  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  tons  of  hay,  considerable  quantities 
of  grain;  possesses  excellent  pasturage,  and  many 
good  and  productive  farms.  It  derives  its  name  from 
Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  who  fell  in  the  fight  with  the 
Indians  at  Point  Pleasant.  Weston  is  the  capital. 

Doddridge  is  another  railroad  county  west  of  Har- 
rison. Its  staples  are  also  corn  and  grass.  Cattle 
thrive  for  six  months  of  the  year  with  no  other  pas- 
turage than  the  range  of  the  forests.  Nutritious 
grasses  spring  naturally  wherever  the  surface  is  de- 
nuded of  timber.  Its  proportion  of  improved  to  un- 
improved laud  is  twenty-five  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  acres  to  two  hundred  and  seventeen 
thousand  five  hundred  and  forty-three ;  its  average 
valuation,  by  the  census  of  1860,  four  dollars  and 
fourteen  cents.  It  is  drained  by  Middle  Island 
Creek,  which  flows  into  the  Ohio  River,  and  the 
North  Fork  of  Hughes  River,  which  is  a  tributary 
of  the  Little  Kanawha.  Both  of  these  streams  have 
gained  celebrity  during  the  petroleum  excitement; 
and  the  present  prices  of  lands  here  bear  little  pro- 
portion to  the  assessed  valuation  of  former  days. 
"West  Union  is  the  county-seat. 

Ritchie  County,  next  east  of  Jackson,  upon  the 


THE   CENTRAL    GROUP.  137 

railroad,  has  a  variety  of  surface,  which  is  broken 
into  very  abrupt  ridges  in  places,  exhibiting  in  dislo- 
cated strata  the  effects  of  violent  upheaval ;  the  soil, 
too,  is  variable,  but  generally  productive.  It  was 
named  in  honor  of  Thomas  Ritchie,  editor  of  the 
Richmond  Enquirer.  It  is  drained  by  the  Hughes 
River.  But  a  small  portion  of  farm  lands  are  as  yet 
improved.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  the  oil  formation, 
which  extends  south  from  western  Pennsylvania  to 
the  Kanawha.  The  famous  lubricating  oil,  used  by 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  is  pumped  from 
shallow  wells  near  Petroleum,  twenty-two  miles  from 
Parkersburg. 

Wirt  County,  south  and  west  of  Ritchie,  is  in  the 
second  tier  of  counties  from  the  Ohio,  upon  the  Little 
Kanawha.  It  is  also  declivitous  and  oil-yielding,  and 
is  the  location  of  the  oldest  and  most  extensive  system 
of  oil  wells  to  be  found  in  the  State.  Their  discovery 
was  attended  with  much  excitement;  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  soil  are  deriving  immense  revenues  as 
rental,  and  the  operators  are  variously  meeting  with 
returns  ranging  from  the  fullest  success  to  the  most 
decided  failure.  Some  wells  are  improving,  and 
others  failing,  after  temporary  suspension,  are  again 
worked.  A  singular  geological  phenomenon  of  the 
oil  region  has  attracted  attention  in  this  vicinity.  A 
large  portion  of  its  land  is  unimproved,  but  naturally 
productive ;  its  assessed  value  averages  five  dollars 
and  eleven  cents.  Its  crop  statistics  show  an  average 
yield  of  farm  products. 

Calhoun  is  a  small  county,  also  intersected  by  the 
Little  Kanawha,  containing  farms  of  average  fertility, 
assessed  at  nearly  the  same  value  as  those  of  Wirt, 
12* 


138  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

and  occupied  mainly  for  the  rearing  of  live  stock.  It 
has  of  late  shared  in  the  general  advance  of  prices, 
caused  by  the  production  of  petroleum  in  the  adjoin- 
ing county  of  Wirt,  and  the  prospect  of  similar  re- 
sults, in  some  degree,  throughout  the  region  drained 
by  the  Little  Kanawha  and  its  branches. 

Gilmer  adjoins  Calhoun  on  the  east,  has  fine  forest 
ranges  for  cattle,  and  a  comparatively  small  area  of 
improved  land.  Its  principal  water-courses  are  the 
Little  Kanawha  River,  and  Lick,- Leading  and  Steer 
Creeks.  Its  minerals  are  iron,  coal,  salt  and  petro- 
leum. It  was  named  in  honor  of  Thomas  "W.  Gilmer, 
a  member  of  Congress  for  Virginia. 

Roane,  south  of  Calhoun,  abounds  in  steep  hills 
and  grassy  valleys,  through  which  flow  the  waters  of 
the  Pocotalico  and  other  streams,  tributaries  of  the 
Great  Kanawha.  It  is  a  fine  region  for  sheep,  and 
unwillingly  furnished  ten  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  horses  for  the  cavalry  of  the  Rebels.  The  number 
of  sheep  was  rapidly  increasing  in  1862;  but  the 
raiders  having  a  taste  for  good  mutton,  it  is  presumed 
that  losses  and  gains  have  left  the  flocks  as  they  were 
in  1860.  Tobacco  does  well  in  this  as  in  the  adjoin- 
ing counties,  yielding  a  product  that  commands  a 
fine  price  for  its  excellent  flavor.  In  one  instance 
last  season,  twenty-one  acres,  with  indifferent  cul- 
ture, brought  two  thousand  dollars.  When  such 
results  call  be  attained  with  so  little  labor  on  lands 
which  average  but  a  few  dollars  per  acre,  it  should 
not  be  said  that  the  soil  here  is  unproductive  or 
farming  unprofitable.  Fruit  is  usually  abundant. 
Good  peach  crops  have  been  enjoyed  for  a  succession 
of  years  past.  The  fruit  is  often  sold  at  twenty-five 
cents  per  bushel. 


THE    CENTRAL    GROUP.  139 

In  evidence  of  the  adaptation  of  this  soil  to  tobacco, 
a  statement  of  a  correspondent  may  be  referred  to 
relative  to  the  crop  of  a  neighbor,  Martin  "W.  EMd, 
of  this  county.  The  land  was  in  forest,  and  cost,  to 
clear  twenty  acres  and  cultivate  the  crop,  eleven 
hundred  dollars,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
more  to  get  it  to  market.  Though  he  lost  considera- 
ble of  it  for  want  of  sheds  sufficient  to  cure  it  prop- 
erly, he  sold  thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  pounds 
for  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  dollars. 
This  gave  a  profit  of  fourteen  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  dollars,  or  seventy-one  dollars  and  five  cents  per 
acre  —  amply  suflicient  to  buy  a  large  farm  of  unim- 
proved land. 

Braxton  County  is  more  nearly  than  any  other  the 
geographical  centre  of  the  State.     It  is  intersected 
by  the  Elk  and  Little  Kanawha,   and  their  tribu- 
taries.    It  is  well-watered,   has   a  very  productive 
soil,  heavy  seams  of  valuable  coal,  and  other  mineral 
wealth,  as  iron,  salt,  and  petroleum.     It  is  compara- 
tively uncultivated ;  little  more  than  an  eighth  of  the 
farm    lands    is    improved.       The    average    assessed 
valuation  of  all  farm  lands  in  1860,  was  but  four 
dollars  and  twenty-eight  cents,  a  sum  by  no  means 
representing. their  real  or  prospective  value.     They 
are  now  held  at  far  higher  rates.     This  county  is 
midway  between  Clarksburg  and  Charleston,  and  on 
the  proposed  Central  Railroad  route.     It  was  formed 
in  1836,  from  Lewis,  Kauawha,  and  Nicholas,  and 
received  its  name  in  honor  of  Carter  Braxton,  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.     Bull- 
town,  a  locality  of  some  prominence,  is  so  named 
from  Captain  Bull,  a  chief,  who  resided  here  at  the 
head  of  a  small  band  of  Indians. 


140  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Upshur  County  is  centrally  situated,  south  of  Bar- 
bour,  and  gives  rise  to  the  West  Fork  of  the  Monon- 
gahela.  It  has  a  fertile  soil,  and  is  rich  in  a  great 
variety  of  minerals.  It  is  sparsely  settled,  and  has 
but  a  small  percentage  of  farm  lands  in  actual  culti- 
vation. It  contains  some  enterprising  farmers,  who 
have  made  valuable  improvements,  which  show  the 
capabilities  of  the  soil.  Like  most  of  the  interior 
lands  of  this  State,  their  average  value  in  the  market 
has  been  very  low,  notwithstanding  their  intrinsic 
worth  for  agricultural  and  mining  purposes.  Buck- 
hannon  is  the  principal  town.  This  county  was  the 
main  theatre  of  war  in  the  opening  campaign  of  West 
Virginia.  Here  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain  was 

O 

fought,  and  hence  the  defeated  Rebels  fled,  and 
essayed  to  cross  the  mountains  into  East  Virginia. 

Webster,  drained  by  the  headwaters  of  the  Elk  and 
Gauley  Rivers,  a  new  county  with  resources  very 
little  developed,  and  lands  cheap  —  averaging  one 
dollar  and  sixty-one  cents  per  acre,  in  1860.  Its 
mineral  resources  are  equally  abundant  with  those 
of  neighboring  counties,  and  will,  in  the  future,  be 
valuable.  Its  lands  are  admirably  adapted  to  pas- 
turage. 

Nicholas,  upon  the  south,  intersected  by  the 
Gauley,  has  a  promising  future.  It  contains  one  mil- 
lion four  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  two  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  acres  of  farm  lands,  of  which  but 
thirty-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-one  are 
improved;  average  valuation  two  dollars  and  fifty- 
one  cents  per  acre.  It  has  clear  running  streams, 
filled  with  the  speckled  trout,  and  fine  forest  pastures 
and  grassy  glades.  Though  only  two  and  a  half  per 


THE   CENTRAL    GROUP.  141 

cent,  of  its  farm  lands  are  improved,  its  live  stock  is 
valued  at  three  hundred  thirty-four  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars ;  its  flocks  of  sheep  num- 
bering nine  thousand  and  ninetyvthree ;  and  while 
it  lies  well  up  towards  the  mountains,  there  is  re- 
quired for  the  winter  support  of  twenty  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty-six  farm  animals,  but  two 
thousand  and  thirty-five  tons  of  hay.  Winters  can- 
not be  very  severe  if  one  hundred  pounds  of  hay  will 
suffice  for  each  animal. 

Clay  County  lies  south  of  Braxton,  upon  the  Elk 
River.  It  is  a  small  county,  with  but  five  thousand 
five  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  improved  land. 
Its  location  is  eligible,  and  much  of  its  land  produc- 
tive. The  proposed  central  line  of  railroad  must 
intersect  it.  "Were  the  road  completed,  few  coun- 
ties could  boast  a  more  eligible  position,  or  better 
prospects. 

There  is  material  enough  in  the  mineral,  agricul- 
tural and  natural  features  of  this  central  portion  of 
the  State  for  a  volume.  In  this  partial  (perhaps  pre- 
liminary) record  of  some  of  its  striking  and  obvious 
points,  only  a  glimpse  of  its  natural  magnificence 
can  be  enjoyed.  Were  a  more  extended  view  in- 
cluded in  the  present  design,  the  disturbed  condition 
of  the  country,  and  the  topographical  and  geological 
labor  necessary  to  a  thorough  survey,  would  materi- 
ally interfere  to  mar  the  success  of  the  work.  It  is 
believed,  however,  that  new  light  will  be  thrown 
upon  the  resources  of  this  remarkable  country,  and 
a  truer  impression  of  its  real  feature  be  given  to 
people  of  other  States. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

STATISTICS   OP   PRODUCTION. 

A  STATEMENT  of  the  farm  products  of  West  Vir- 
ginia* will  not  indicate  an  extraordinary  produc- 
tion in  proportion  to  population,  nor  will  it  show  so 
meagre  a  result  as  most  people  in  other  States  would 
have  predicted.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  a  large  ele- 
ment of  the  population  has  been  that  of  the  forerun- 
ner of  civilization,  the  pioneer,  who  desires  nothing 
more  than  elbow-room  and  a  wide  forest  range  for 
game,  and  is  content  to  lead  a  primitive  life,  know- 
ing few  wants  and  those  easily  supplied,  these  figures 
prove  incontestably  a  fertile  soil. 

A  Statement  of  the  farm  products,  etc.,  of  West  Virginia,  com- 
piled from  the  census  returns  for  I860,  by  permission  of 
Commissioner  Kennedy. 

Acres  of  improved  land           .             .             .  2,346,137 

Acres  of  unimproved  land              .             .  8,550,257 

Cash  value  of  farms     ....  £87,525,087 

Value  of  farming  implements  and  machinery  $1,973,158 

Horses   .                         .            .            .            .  85,862 

Asses  and  mules      ....  1,674 

Milch  cows        .....  100,154 

Working  oxen         ....  18.696 


*  The  statement  in  this  chapter,  as  well  as  those  interspersed  in 
descriptions  of  the  several  counties,  is  based  upon  the  census  re- 
turns of  1860.  Returns  made  to  the  State  Auditor,  if  they  could  bo 
made  complete,  would  show  advancement  in  many  of  the  counties 
even  during  a  civil  war. 
(142) 


STATISTICS   OF   PEODUCTION. 


143 


Other  cattle      .....  191,239 

Sheep            .....  453,334 

Swine     ......  327,214 

Value  of  live  stock  .  .  .        812,382,680 

Wheat,  bushels  of         ....  2,302,567 

Eye,  bushels  of                    .            .            .  71,263 

Indian  corn,  bushels  of             ...  7,858,647 

Oats,  bushels  of      .            .            .            .  1,649,090 

Rice,  pounds  of             ....  1,163 

Tobacco,  pounds  of                                      .  2,180,316 

Ginned  cotton,  bales  of,  400  pounds  each       .  125 

Wool,  pounds  of      .            .            .            .  1,073,163 

Peas  and  beans,  bushels  of                   .             .  31,332 

Irish  potatoes,  bushels  of  .            .            .  746,606 

Sweet  potatoes,  bushels  of                   .             .  68,081 

Barley,  bushels  of  .            .             .            .  60,368 

Buckwheat,  bushels  of             ...  342,518 

Value  of  orchard  products             .            .  $234,273 

Wine,  gallons  of           ....  2,368 

Value  of  produce  of  market  gardens       .  $44,299 

Butter,  pounds  of         ....  4,760,779 

Cheese,  pounds  of   .            .            .            .  131,585 

Hay,  tons  of     .             .             .            .            .  154,136 

Clover-seed,  bushels  of                    .            .  7,230 

Grass-seeds,  bushels  of             ...  10,571 

Hops,  pounds  of                  .             .            .  3,018 

Hemp,  dew-rotted,  tons  of                   .            .  407 

Hemp,  water-rotted,  tons  of          .            .  1,020 

Other  prepared  hemp  ....  1,599 

Flax,  pounds  of      .            .            .            .  183,498 

Flax-seed,  bushels  of    .             .            .            .  8,430 

Silk  cocoons,  pounds  of      ...  69 

Maple  sugar,  pounds  of            ...  667,178 

Maple  molasses,  gallons  of             .             .  71,425 

Sorghum  molasses,  gallons  of.             .             .  174,318 

Beeswax,  pounds  of            ...  30,459 

Honey,  pounds  of         ....  423,359 

Value  of  home-made  manufactures           .  $502,671 

Value  of  animals  slaughtered              .             .  $2,124,869 

The  value  of  live  stock  is  twelve   million   three 
hundred  and  eighty-two  thousand  six  hundred  and 


144  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

eighty  dollars,  a  sum  exceeding  the  value  of  the  same 
interest  in  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut,  Delaware, 
Florida,  Kansas,  Minnesota,  and  other  States,  and 
exceeded  in  Massachusetts  by  only  three  hundred 
and  fifty-five  thousand  and  sixty-four  dollars. 

The  value  of  slaughtered  animals,  two  million  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  dollars,  exceeds  the  income  from  the 
same  source  in  Delaware,  Florida,  Kansas,  Louisiana, 
Mississippi,  Rhode  Island,  and  Oregon.  It  is  ex- 
ceeded slightly  in  Maine  (two  million  seven  hundred 
and  eighty  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
dollars),  Maryland  (two  million  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-one  thousand  five  hundred  and  ten  dollars), 
Massachusetts  (two  million  nine  hundred  and  fifteen 
thousand  and  forty-five  dollars),  and  Vermont  (two 
million  five  hundred  and  forty-nine  thousand  and  one 
dollars). 

The  product  of  butter  exceeds  that  of  eleven  States, 
among  them  California,  Kansas,  the  Carolinas,  Mis- 
sissippi, and  Louisiana.  Maryland  makes  but  four 
hundred  and  ninety-four  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixteen  pounds  more. 

In  flax,  greater  results  are  shown  than  in  any  of  the 
States,  with  the  exception  of  Kentucky,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  North  Carolina,  and  Virginia  proper, 
the  last  of  which  is  far  exceeded  by  West  Virginia 
in  proportion  either  to  population  or  area. 

More  of  maple  sugar  is  found  than  in  a  score  of  the 
States,  and  this  product  could  be  increased  more  than 
ten-fold.  Sorghum  is  also  a  growing  interest. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  precedence  of  the 
counties  in  the  several  items  indicated  :  In  farm  im- 


STATISTICS   OF   PEODUCTIOK  145 

plements,  Hampshire,  Barbour,  Jefferson.  In  value 
of  farm  lands  per  acre,  Jefferson,  Brooke,  Ohio,  Han- 
cock. In  horses,  Hampshire,  Harrison,  Monongalia. 
In  cows,  Hampshire,  Preston,  Marion.  In  working 
oxen,  "Wayne,  Kanawha.  In  sheep,  Brooke,  Ohio, 
Hancock,  Hampshire,  Preston.  In  swine,  Jefferson, 
Hampshire,  Berkeley,  Harrison,  Greenbrier.  In  corn, 
Hampshire,  Jefferson,  Harrison.  In  wheat,  Jefferson, 
Berkeley,  Mason,  Hampshire.  In  oats,  Marshall, 
Monongalia,  Greenbrier,  Preston.  In  barley,  Ohio, 
Brooke,  Hancock.  In  buckwheat,  Hampshire,  Pen- 
dleton,  Marshall.  In  butter,  Pocahontas,  Hampshire, 
Marion,  Monongalia,  Berkeley.  In  hay,  Hardy, 
Hampshire,  Berkeley,  Barbour,  Monongalia,  Jeffer- 
son, Marion.  In  tobacco,  Putnam,  Kanawha,  Mercer, 
"Wood,  Monroe,  Fayette.  In  flax,  Nicholas,  Upshur, 
Mercer,  Barbour,  Logan,  Marion.  In  cheese,  Harri- 
son, Upshur,  Preston,  Barbour,  Monroe,  Marion.  In 
potatoes,  Marshall,  Preston,  Hampshire,  "Wood,  Jack- 
son, Jefferson. 
13 


146 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 


Statement  of  the  number  and  value  of  different  kinds  of  live  stock,  according  to 
the  United  States  Census  of  1860. 


Asses 

Milcli 

Work- 

Other 

Value  of 

Counties. 

Horses. 

and 

cows. 

ing 

cattle. 

Sheep. 

Swine. 

live 

mules. 

oxen. 

stock. 

Barbour..... 

3,059 

81 

3,726 

418 

7,715 

11,673 

9.916 

$377,693 

Berkeley  ... 

3,510 

19 

2,728 

12 

3,687 

7,057 

13,469 

335,757 

787 

9 

1,444 

428 

3,078 

3,248 

7,653 

120,589 

Braxton  

976 

19 

1,395 

197 

1,826 

6,108 

5,040 

109,456 

Brooke  

1,399 

18 

1,319 

169 

1,513 

40,020 

3,309 

282.439 

Cabell  

1,350 

66 

1,475 

856 

3,7  SO 

5,764 

8,408 

195,674 

Calhoun.... 

484 

10 

741 

242 

1,491 

2,412 

2,956 

74,651 

Clay  

286 

10 

638 

150 

637 

1,608 

2,412 

41,824 

Doddridge.. 

1,182 

2 

1,664 

232 

3,147 

5,377 

4,332 

142,269 

Fayette  

1,266 

20 

1,767 

471 

2,467 

6,998 

7,723 

177,440 

Gilmer  

815 

8 

1,197 

205 

2,392 

3,967 

3,864 

118,723 

Greenbrier. 

3,714 

128 

3,984 

GS6 

8,163 

16,067 

10,971 

676,298 

Hampshire 

5,222 

67 

5,522 

6 

11,355 

21,287 

14,619 

763,454 

Hancock  ... 

1,109 

4 

1,127 

140 

1,657 

21,402 

2,405 

182,746 

Hardy  

2,526 

54 

2,561 

142 

8,244 

11,378 

7,032 

453,768 

Harrison  ... 

4,404 

35 

4,501 

681 

12,163 

13,202 

11,496 

644,325 

Jackson  

1,330 

23 

1,541 

504 

2,513 

6,615 

6,538 

173,354 

Jefferson  ... 

3,421 

128 

2,316 

135 

4,071 

7,269 

15,044 

466,168 

Kanawha  .. 

1,402 

153 

1,889 

1,047 

3,282 

4,936 

10,135 

197,2-24 

Lewis  

1,617 

12 

1,902 

364 

5,452 

8,250 

4,554 

225,500 

Logan  

885 

23 

1,595 

827 

3,513 

4,673 

9,197 

161,490 

Marion  

3,762 

54 

4,629 

654 

5,080 

9,029 

9,985 

466,254 

Marshall.... 

2,413 

2 

2,501 

573 

3,113 

10,022 

8,447 

2M»,,SliO 

Mason  

1,355 

75 

1,254 

616 

3,266 

5,582 

8,294 

252,063 

Mercer  

1,552 

37 

2,218 

199 

4,128 

10,225 

11,308 

244,954 

Monongalia 

3,904 

32 

3,881 

680 

7,090 

10,945 

8,028 

454.070 

Monroe  

3,216 

47 

3,058 

407 

9,181 

12,288 

10,172 

500,268 

Morgan  

972 

6 

1,036 

16 

1,709 

2,992 

3,300 

111,439 

McDowell... 

222 

8 

673 

25 

785 

866 

2,463 

33,785 

Nicholas  ... 

1,358 

52 

1,728 

505 

4,523 

9,093 

12,390 

334,820 

Ohio  

1  441 

3 

1,408 

246 

1,380 

40,050 

3,244 

253,090 

Pendleton  . 

2,543 

1 

3,423 

11 

6,372 

14,143 

5,744 

371,228 

Pocahontas 

1.688 

53 

2,447 

246 

5,471 

10,338 

5,099 

328,002 

Preston  

3,326 

41 

4,993 

591 

5,846 

19,084 

8,854 

401,133 

Putnam  .... 

1,229 

114 

1,507 

924 

2,891 

5,924 

8,084 

185,995 

Pleasants... 

646 

1 

725 

211 

1,300 

2,837 

2,386 

84,275 

Raleigh  

486 

5 

7*4 

128 

1,311 

3,569 

3,663 

69,038 

Randolph  .. 

1,189 

17 

1,760 

237 

6,106 

7,565 

3,267 

244,857 

Ritchie  

1,724 

36 

2,117 

392 

3,409 

7,925 

7,891 

213,147 

Roane  

783 

26 

1,011 

247 

.    1,625 

5,190 

4,380 

8b,lSO 

Taylor  

1,137 

30 

1,347 

219 

2,721 

4,788 

3,710 

162,864 

Tucker  

448 

6 

636 

78 

1,337 

2,651 

1,291 

58,850 

Tyler  

1,484 

20 

1,644 

476 

2,829 

8,748 

5,942 

202,707 

TJpshur  

1,955 

5 

2,508 

305 

4,090 

9,821 

5,o78 

271,523 

Wayne  

1,240 

113 

1,524 

1,297 

2,642 

7,405 

8,898 

175,008 

Webster  

356 

2 

6'J3 

89 

972 

2,474 

1,691 

44,304 

Wetzel  

1,502 

4 

1,806 

365 

3,056 

6,244 

6,293 

169,639 

Wirt  

874 

14 

1,086 

310 

1,589 

5,032 

4,188 

110,417 

Wood  

1,899 

6 

2,197 

638 

2,706 

7,360 

7,258 

214,077 

Wyoming  .. 

414 

15 

868 

99 

2,365 

1,233 

4,733 

81,992 

85,862 

1,674 

100,154 

18,696 

191,239 

453,334 

427,214 

12,382,680 

The  writer  has  endeavored  to  procure  more  recent 
returns  from  the  office  of  the  State  Auditor  of  "West 


STATISTICS   OF   PRODUCTION.  147 

Virginia,  and  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  partial  re- 
cord of  the  condition  of  live  stock ;  but  the  southern 
and  southwestern,  and  some  of  the  mountain  counties 
have  been  so  infested  with  guerillas,  and  hi  so  unset- 
tled a  condition  that  the  statement  would  be  too  par- 
tial and  incomplete  to  be  satisfactory. 

In  some  counties  great  losses  have  been  incurred 
in  live  stock  from  marauding,  particularly  in  horses. 
Yet  the  State  returns  for  1862  give  an  increase  in 
horses,  over  1860,  in  the  counties  of  Barbour,  Brooke, 
Cabell,  Doddridge,  Harrison,  Hancock,  Jackson,  Ka- 
nawha,  Lewis,  Monongalia,  Marshall,  Ohio,  Preston, 
and  several  others.  In  some  cases  this  increase  is 
extraordinary,  as  in  Kanawha,  from  fourteen  hundred 
and  two  to  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two,  doubtless  due  to  a  great  influx  from  Fayette  and 
Greenbrier,  on  the  great  highway  to  rebeldom,  and 
from  which  there  is  no  report.  The  same  disturb- 
ing causes  have  aifected  other  stock  to  some  extent. 
Sheep  had  already  increased,  in  1862,  in  Brooke,  from 
forty  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty  to  forty-six 
thousand  two  hundred ;  in  Hancock,  from  twenty-one 
thousand  four  hundred  and  two  to  twenty-nine  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  thirty-two ;  in  Harrison,  from 
thirteen  thousand  two  hundred  and  two  to  seventeen 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-one ;  in  Monon- 
galia, from  ten  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-five 
to  seventeen  thousand  five  hundred  and  ninety-four; 
in  Marshall,  from  sixteen  thousand  and  twenty-two 
to  twenty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven  ;  in  Preston,  from  nineteen  thousand  and  eighty- 
four  to  twenty-five  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty. 
Since  that  date  there  has  been  a  still  heavier  increase. 


148 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 


Statement  exhibiting  the  quantity  and  value  of  some  of  the  principal  items  of 
farm  produce  according  to  the  Census  of  1860. 


. 

Irish 

Slaugh- 

Counties. 

Wheat. 

Rye. 

corn. 

Oats. 

Tobacco. 

potatoes 

Butter. 

tered 
animals. 

Bushfls. 

Bushels. 

Bushels 

Bushfh. 

Pounds. 

Bushels. 

Pituntls. 

Value. 

Barbour..  ... 

37,835 

4,794 

197,460 

29,680 

596 

17,256 

161,627 

c":-';.!62 

Berkeley  ... 

237,576 

18,672 

275,525 

76,176 

18,962 

160,069 

93,555 

Booue  

15.278 

1,118 

143,808 

7,994 

18,729 

10,620 

59,262 

30.S79 

Braxton  

22,366 

604 

122.749 

17,695 

15,534 

8,300 

43.772 

20,327 

Brooke  

23,490 

3,506 

142,122 

64984 

20,488 

140,326 

36763 

Cabell  

65,715 

356 

248,210 

18,717 

68,578 

11.119 

45,230 

49,736 

Calhoun  

10,734 

56 

89,847 

6,423 

7,882 

6,OS8 

61,050 

13,455 

Clay 

4,433 

410 

44310 

6,150 

26.229 

4,269 

27,S6S 

12.597 

Doddridge.. 

16,514 

569 

124,133 

6,765 

7,025 

13J24 

66,554 

24,848 

Kayette  

25,693 

2,403 

131,425 

28,433 

127,713 

10,223 

82.082 

44,107 

Gilmer  

18,609 

168 

126,944 

11,800 

61,104 

7,836 

77.-J74 

21,107 

Greenbrier 

52,017 

10,610 

231,479 

112,055 

3,000 

24.858 

151.156 

114,2ti5 

Hampshire. 

106,310 

75,257 

375,090 

49,259 

75 

41.773 

2:;9,:iOO 

109,834 

llaucock.... 

16,423 

5,117 

61,346 

46,716 

26,002 

125,446 

26,396 

Hardy  

3'J,946 

28,043 

286,618 

20,200 

1,450 

18,534 

102,603 

71,698 

Harrison  ... 

56,411 

936 

320,946 

37,501 

11,715 

.15,357 

155,419 

75,8»3 

Jackson  

88,338 

228 

219,377 

11,878 

74,691 

32,630 

m.oce 

40,260 

Jeflersou  ... 

422,514 

15,lv8 

358,267 

54,798 

6,700 

31,876 

131,684 

110,221 

Kanawha  .. 

76,30o 

198 

274,943 

45,430 

338,264 

12,352 

59,1&€ 

56,345 

Lewis  

27,191 

579 

136,677 

12,418 

82,910 

9,822 

66,230 

28,817 

Logan.  

11,025 

530 

199,385 

11,067 

13,545 

9,794 

48,247 

30,559 

Marion  

50,894 

1,159 

214.706 

86,409 

25,012 

12,618 

228,852 

55,990 

Marshall  ... 

74,759 

2,b30 

241,911 

133,617 

10,590 

46.634 

146,715 

44,944 

Mason  

lii^.v.';'.i 

330 

264,813 

6,462 

21,996 

11,873 

67,337 

55,706 

Mercer  

43,131 

5,021 

131,654 

55,843 

182,554 

10,533 

81,454 

5S.13S 

Mouongalia 

49,124 

4,999 

239,024 

126,198 

1,380 

10,586 

171,876 

46,994 

Monroe  

84,805 

13,422 

216,513 

59,265 

132,019 

12,692 

112,753 

Morgan  

19,404 

16,082 

47,575 

10,122 

2,234 

7,806 

61,152 

21,323 

McDowell- 

1,041 

285 

20,445 

2,215 

1,275 

1,410 

6.407 

8,138 

Nicholas  ... 

12,S94 

6,128 

103,193 

26,613 

14.470 

16,528 

110,453 

64,227 

Ohio  

20,048 

5,639 

138,430 

82,101 

21,419 

12V44S 

26,930 

Pendleton  . 

11.476 

11,927 

122,997 

16,516 

2,073 

13,366 

101,838 

45,319 

Pocahontas 

8,774 

9,787 

48,229 

26,612 

190 

12,090 

121,310 

41,554 

Preston  

8,9;i3 

10,778 

71,063 

104,317 

185 

44,655 

340,988 

80.407 

Putnam  

78,796 

43 

197,700 

16,355 

406,992 

9,192 

81,940 

57,165 

Pkasants... 

22.785 

319 

102,172 

7,395 

27,930 

7,747 

30,500 

15,284 

Raleigh  

6,700 

1,825 

39,301 

11,713 

34,827 

3,719 

22,644 

13,363 

Randolph  .. 

7,675 

2,126 

56,225 

20,248 

1.117 

8,349 

57,332 

24,883 

Ritchie  

27,582 

369 

147,785 

14,978 

18,606 

19,490 

92,337 

35,763 

Roane  

21,897 

705 

100.074 

8,743 

10.268 

6,593 

44.116 

20,571 

Taylor  

20,811 

898 

78,001 

25,610 

3,139 

4,294 

80,357 

22,383 

Tucker  

1,103 

1,147 

19,955 

6,049 

710 

4,346 

17,057 

7,721 

Tyler  

•i:;,727 

283 

182.239 

28,512 

11,225 

23,733 

130,527 

35,150 

Upshur  

27,765 

1,719 

149,496 

20.337 

60,000 

13,639 

126,350 

35,217 

Wayne  

35,319 

362 

224,044 

13,077 

55,628 

71,514 

40.241 

Webster  .... 

1,586 

791 

25,602 

3100 

2,194 

11,587 

6,439 

Wetzel  

31,652 

1,529 

180,150 

26,775 

84,989 

14.41,0 

124,342 

28,182 

Wirt  

27,488 

202 

115,046 

5,096 

44.1174 

8J69 

41,602 

22,749 

Wood  

74,236 

244 

227,223 

19.158 

166,365 

33,166 

12.176 

51,682 

Wyoming- 

5,601 

962 

62,430 

9,515 

4,778 

4,024 

22,855 

14,740 

2,302,567 

71,263 

7,858,647 

1,649,090 

2,180,316 

746,006 

4,760,779 

2,124,849 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

INTERNAL     IMPROVEMENTS. ROADS     AND     TURNPIKES. — • 

SLACIftfATER     NAVIGATION. OHIO     AND      CHESAPEAKE 

CANAL BALTIMORE     AND      OHIO     RAILROAD.  —  OTHER 

RAILROADS. 

THE  State  of  Virginia  has  undertaken  many  enter- 
prises, and  expended  much  money,  obtained  by 
general  taxation,  for  the  construction  of  roads  and 
the  improvement  of  rivers ;  but  that  portion  of  the 
State  now  constituting  "West  Virginia  has  shared 
little  in  those  benefits.  Her  interests  have  been 
ignored,  her  mineral  treasures  left  inaccessible,  her 
farm  products  isolated  from  market.  Some  State 
improvements  in  this  quarter  were,  at  times,  feebly 
essayed,  to  silence  the  rising  murmurs  of  popular 
discontent,  and  partially  completed  or  wholly  aban- 
doned at  the  caprice  of  the  State  oligarchy. 

The  neighborhood  roads,  in  a  sparsely-settled  £nd 
hilly  country,  cannot,  of  course,  be  in  a  high  state 
of  improvement ;  yet  much  labor  has  been  expended 
upon  them,  and  many  of  them  are,  in  favorable 
seasons,  quite  passable  thoroughfares,  and  some  are 
in  excellent  condition.  Since  the  existence  of  the 
new  State  organization,  a  thorough  and  stringent 
law  has  been  enacted  relative  to  the  construction 
and  working  of  roads,  which  is  expected  to  answer 

13*  (149) 


150  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

all  the  requirments  of  a  most  effective  system,  and 
secure  convenient  means  of  local  communication. 

Numerous  turnpikes  add  to  the  facilities  for  travel 
in  all  the  more  densely-settled  portions  of  the  State. 
Parkersburg  has  long  been  connected  with  Staunton, 
and  also  with  Winchester,  in  the  Valley  east  of  the 
Alleghanies,  by  turnpike  routes ;  and  there  has  also 
been  maintained  a  daily  stage  line  between  Guyan- 
dotte,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  that  name,  and 
Covington,  via  Charleston  and  the  "White  Sulphur 
Springs.  These  are  all  long  lines,  and  involve 
considerable  capital  and  enterprise  in  their  manage- 
ment and  maintenance. 

Other  lines,  of  less  extent,  afford  facilities  for  trade 
and  travel.  That  from  Sutton  to  Fairmouut,  down 
the  West  Fork  of  the  Monongabela,  has  been  a 
prominent  thoroughfare.  Inaccessible  as  the  country 
seems,  in  the  interior  and  mountain  counties,  there 
are  numerous  roads  chartered  as  turnpikes ;  for  ex- 
ample, in  Preston,  among  precipitous  mountains, 
the  "Northwestern  Turnpike"  passes  through  the 
south  end  of  the  county ;  the  "  Maryland  and  Fish- 
ing Creek  Turnpike"  crosses  the  northern  end ;  the 
"  Brandonville,  Kingwood,  and  Evansville  Turnpike" 
runs  centrally  north  and  south ;  the  "  Morgantown, 
Kingwood,  and  West  Union"  road  divides  the  county 
iii  the  opposite  direction ;  the  "  Ice's  Ferry  and 
Tunnelton ;"  and  the  "Brandonville  and  Cranberry 
Summit,"  leading  to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Other 
counties  are  similarly  provided.  Yet  the  roads, 
many  of  them  at  least,  are  in  bad  condition,  com- 
pared with  those  of  older  and  richer  settlements. 
By  acts  of  the  Legislature,  provision  has  been  made 


SLACKWATER   NAVIGATION.  151 

for  the  better  supervision  and  more  careful  working 
of  highways.  Internal  improvements  will  receive 
their  proper  share  of  attention  from  the  Legislature 
in  the  future ;  and  facilities  for  neighborhood  travel 
will  speedily  be  enlarged. 

Steamboat  navigation  is  confined  to  a  very  few 
streams,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  mountainous 
country. 

The  Monongahela  is  navigated  by  steamboats  in  a 
good  stage  of  water  to  Fairmont,  in  Marion  County. 
Slackwater  improvements  have  been  made  upon  it 
at  intervals  through  its  entire  course  to  Pittsburg. 
It  has  proved  of  immense  benefit  to  the  adjacent 
population  in  affording  facilities  for  transportation 
of  iron  from  the  furnaces  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river, 
coal  from  its  banks,  the  produce  of  the  farmers,  and 
supplies  of  the  merchants. 

The  Great  Kanawha  is  navigable  to  the  falls  near 
the  mouth  of  Gauley  river,  a  distance  of  nearly  one 
hundred  miles.  Millions  of  bushels  of  salt,  immense 
quantities  of  coal,  and  large  quantities  of  merchan- 
dise, have  thus  found  a  market,  and  a  large  passen- 
ger trade  has  been  accommodated.  Like  the  upper 
Ohio,  this  river  sometimes  has  its  navigation  ob- 
structed; in  the  summer  only  steamers  of  light 
draught  can  ply;  but  with  a  little  deepening  and 
clearing  of  the  channel,  it  may  be  made  entirely 
navigable  at  all  seasons.  Some  dredging  has  been 
occasionally  done,  and  slight  improvements  in  its 
navigation  effected,  but  reliance  has  generally  been 
placed  on  the  ordinary  natural  facilities  afforded  by 
the  stream  itself.  The  fact  that  through  this  avenue 
cannel  and  other  coals,  in  unlimited  quantities,  can 


152  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

be  obtained  for  the  markets  down  the  river  with  one 
hundred  miles  less  of  transportation  than  from  Pitts- 
burg,  should  stimulate  improvement  in  this  direc- 
tion, and  aid  in  developing  the  magnificent  coal 
interests  of  the  Great  Kanawha.  The  capital 
recently  enlisted  in  coal  and  petroleum  enterprises 
in  this  valley,  will  ensure  a  speedy  improvement  in 
the  navigation  of  the  river. 

The  Guyandotte  river  has  enjoyed  slackwater 
navigation  to  a  certain  extent.  Dams  were  built, 
but  no  very  substantial  or  permanent  works  con- 
structed. They  have  fallen  into  neglect,  especially 
since  the  commencement  of  the  war,  and  are  now 
nearly  if  not  entirely  useless.  Action  is  already  ini- 
tiated looking  towards  the  rebuilding  of  these  works. 

The  Little  Kanawha  could  easily  be  made  navi- 
gable for  a  distance  sufficient  to  add  considerably  to 
the  convenience  and  wealth  of  the  communities  in 
proximity  to  it,  and  the  wants  of  the  oil  region  will 
soon,  without  doubt,  accomplish  successfully  the 
improvement.  In  a  good  stage  of  water  the  oil  is 
now  either  boated  down  in  bulk,  or  floated  in  barrels, 
in  large  quantities,  to  Parkersburg.  Large  rafts  of 
barrels  filled  with  oil,  present  a  novel  and  peculiar 
aspect  of  river  transportation.  Oil  capitalists  promise 
a  speedy  construction  of  works  for  facilitating  the 
navigation  of  the  river.  The  interests  involved  must 
accomplish  the  result  at  an  early  day. 

The  Ohio  and  Chesapeake  Canal  connects  Cum- 
berland, in  Maryland,  with  Georgetown,  D.  C.  It 
follows  the  course  of  the  Potomac  river,  and  for 
near  a  hundred  miles  of  its  length  in  West  Virginia. 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  with  its  branches, 


BALTIMORE   AND   OHIO    EAILROAD.  153 

furnishes  the  only  railway  facilities  enjoyed  by  "West 
Virginia,  with  one  small  exception.  It  is  to  the 
enterprise  and  invincible  determination  of  this  com- 
pany, and  not  to  aid  from  the  State  of  Virginia,  that 
the  now  partial  development  of  the  resources  of  the 
northern  counties  of  the  new  State  is  due. 

The  construction  of  this  road  was  commenced  on 
the  fourth  of  July,  1828 ;  it  was  opened  to  Ellicott's 
Mills,  twelve  miles  from  Baltimore,  May  22,  1830; 
its  opening  to  Washington  was  celebrated  in  August, 
1834.  Westward  its  construction  was  pushed  for 
many  weary  years,  through  and  over  mountains, 
across  yawning  abysses  and  over  wide  rivers,  moving 
now  with  celerity  on  the  surface  of  level  glades,  and 
then  with  a  progress  labored  and  slow,  boring 
through  the  solid  rock,  until  at  last  the  waters  of 
the  Ohio  and  of  the  Chesapeake  were  united,  the 
Alleghanies  were  surmounted,  and  shrill  paeans  to 
the  triumph  of  steam  in  intercontinental  transporta- 
tion were  screamed  by  a  thousand  iron  throats  from 
the  seaboard  to  the  mountain  summits,  and  from  the 
vine-clad  banks  of  the  Ohio  to  the  cane-fields  on  the 
alluvial  plains  of  Louisiana. 

It  was  one  of  the  first  railroad  enterprises  under- 
taken in  the  United  States,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most 
extensive.  The  length  of  the  main  stem,  from  Balti- 
more to  Wheeling,  is  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  miles ;  that  of  the  Washington  branch,  thirty- 
one  miles.  Other  branches  increase  its  total  length 
to  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  Of  sidings  and 
second  main  track,  there  are  built  nearly  three  hun- 
dred miles  more.  The  original  cost  of  the  entire 
work  was  thirty-one  millions  of  dollars. 


154  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Its  heaviest  permanent  grade  on  the  eastern  de- 
clivity of  the  Alleghanies,  is  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
feet  per  mile  for  seventeen  miles ;  its  greatest  alti- 
tude, two  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  It 
has  twelve  repair  stations,  thirty-three  repair  shops, 
ninety-eight  water  stations,  thirty  telegraph  stations 
and  three  lines  of  wires,  fourteen  tunnels,  twelve 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-four  feet  of  tunnel- 
ling, one  hundred  and  eighty-six  bridges  on  the  main 
stem,  fifteen  thousand  and  eighty-eight  feet  of  bridg- 
ing, about  four  thousand  cars,  and  nearly  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  engines,  and  gives  occupation 
to  five  thousand  officers  and  employees.  Its  annual 
income,  in  good  times,  has  been  five  millions  of 
dollars,  and  since  the  war  would  have  been  doubled 
if  in  full  operation. 

The  road-bed  is  probably  superior  to  any  line  of 
considerable  length  in  America.  It  is  rock-ballasted, 
and  laid  with  heavy  rail  strongly  secured.  The  first 
rail  used  weighed  fifty-five  pounds  per  lineal  yard, 
for  which  rail  of  seventy-five  and  eighty-five  pounds 
was  substituted. 

Astonishing  activity  has  characterized  the  repair 
of  portions  of  the  line  damaged  by  raids  during  the 
war,  and  remarkable  exemption  from  accident  is 
noticed,  as,  during  the  entire  existence  of  the  road, 
it  has  suffered  but  one  serious  accident,  and  that 
was  due  to  an  unavoidable  circumstance  when  the 
road  was  new. 

Several  years  ago  it  was  estimated  by  an  officer  of 
the  road,  that  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men  could 
be  transported  over  it  in  thirty  hours.  The  predic- 
tion is  more  than  verified  in  the  following,  received 


BALTIMORE   AND   OHIO    RAILROAD.  155 

from  W.  P.  Smith,  the  well-known  and  appreciated 
master  of  transportation  of  the  road : 

"  The  heaviest  movement  that  we  have  made,  or  that 
has  been  made  by  any  railway  in  the  country,  was  of 
the  twent}^-three  thousand  men  of  Hooker's  two  corps, 
in  September  last,  from  "Washington  to  Chattanooga. 
This  great  body  of  men,  with  all  their  artillery,  equipage, 
wagons,  and  effects,  including  the  cavalry  horses,  occu- 
pied about  one  thousand  cars,  and  were  carried  from 
Washington  to  Ben  wood,  on  the  Ohio  river  (four  hundred 
miles),  in  about  forty  hours." 

The  greatest  movement  of  troops  on  record  —  the 
most  gigantic  enterprise  in  transportation  ever  under- 
taken— has  more  recently  been  accomplished  by  the 
management  of  this  road.  It  involved  the  moving 
of  portions  of  our  armies  to  the  number  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  thousand  men,  four  thousand  horses, 
with  three  million  pounds  of  baggage  or  effects.  In 
the  first  eight  days  seventy  thousand  of  the  number 
were  started  from  Washington.  Seventy-four  thou- 
sand, including  the  army  of  General  Logan,  took  the 
Parkersburg  route,  and  embarked  on  steamboats  for 
Louisville — saving  nearly  one  hundred  miles  of  river 
transportation  over  the  Wheeling  route,  and  nearly 
two  hundred  over  that  via  Pittsburg.  Negotiations 
for  this  movement  were  made  by  President  Garrett, 
arid  its  practical  details  were  supervised  by  the 
master  of  transportation,  Wm.  Prescott  Smith.  The 
Washington  agent,  George  S.  Kooutz,  executed  with 
equal  assiduity  and  fidelity  the  important  trust  de- 
volved upon  him. 

The  scenery  of  West  Virginia  along  the  line  of 
this  road,  has  been  the  astonishment  and  admiration 
of  travellers  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe. 


156  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

From  Harper's  Ferry,  where  the  road  has  broken 
a  rough  passage  through  the  frowning  mountains  of 
the  Blue  Ridge,  to  the  crossing  of  the  Potomac  again 
before  Cumberland,  a  distance  of  ninety-eight  miles, 
the  road  passes  through  the  eastern  section  of  Western 
Virginia,  a  mingled  scene  of  rough  ravines,  river 
rapids,  widening  plains,  and  mountain  barriers,  which 
push  forth  encroachingly  upon  the  river,  compelling 
a  detour  not  made  by  the  stream  without  a  noisy  yet 
unavailing  murmur. 

After  a  run  through  Maryland  of  little  more  than 
twenty  miles,  a  corner  of  Hampshire  County,  in 
West  Virginia,  is  struck  at  New  Creek  and  Pied- 
mont, the  terminus  of  the  first  division  of  the  road, 
and  site  of  extensive  machine  shops.  From  this 
point  a  rise  of  about  nineteen  hundred  feet  is  accom- 
plished in  seventeen  miles,  the  steepest  railroad 
grade  in  the  country.  Passing  the  glade  lands  of 
the  summit,  which  are  in  Maryland,  the  traveller  is 
again  introduced  into  West  Virginia,  just  as  he  com- 
mences the  western  descent  of  the  Alleghanies,  and 
views  a  beautiful  panorama  of  mountain  peaks  piled 
upon  receding  mountains.  Soon  the  most  sublime 
of  railroad  scenery  is  in  view ;  the  passage  of  the 
Cheat  River,  the  winding  along  the  almost  perpen- 
dicular sides  of  the  mountain,  with  the  chocolate- 
colored  stream  far  down  at  its  base,  and  a  similar 
range  on  the  opposite  side,  presenting  to  a  distant 
observer  a  scene  aptly  represented  by  a  walk  fur- 
rowed around  the  spire  of  a  towering  steeple.  Cheat 
River  is  crossed  by  a  viaduct  based  upon  abutments 
and  a  pier  of  solid  freestone.  A  mile  further  west- 
ward, Kyer'sRun,  seventy-six  feet  deep,  is  crossed  by 


BALTIMOKE   AND   OHIO   KAILROAD.  157 

an  embankment  of  solid  masonry;  then  Buckeye 
Hollow  is  bridged  by  works  one  hundred  and  eight 
feet  in  depth ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  famous 
Tray  Run  is  crossed,  at  the  height  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  by  a  viaduct  six  hundred  feet  long,  a 
huge  net-work  of  iron  upon  a  massive  base  of 
masonry.  At  the  west  end  of  the  viaduct,  from  a 
broad  ledge  overhanging  the  precipice,  an  impressive 
view  of  the  great  chasm  of  the  Cheat  River  is 
obtained,  with  the  stream  itself  three  hundred  feet 
below,  winding  northward  and  disappearing  among 
the  mountains. 

Soon  another  barrier  is  reached.  Projecting  spurs 
have  been  circumvented,  deep  ravines  overleaped, 
aspiring  knobs  bisected,  and  the  height  thus  perse- 
veringly  overcome;  but  here  confronts  the  road  a 
peak  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  higher  still,  and 
nearly  a  mile  in  breadth,  of  solid  earth  and  rock. 
The  work  of  tunnelling  progressed  three  years;  a 
year  and  a  half  more  was  consumed  in  arching  it 
with  brick  and  stone,  and  it  was  finished  —  the 
Kingwood  tunnel,  four  thousand  one  hundred  feet 
in  length,  costing  one  million  dollars  —  a  monument 
of  engineering  skill  and  a  triumph  of  patient  labor. 

Grafton,  nineteen  miles  further  on,  is  the  point  of 
intersection  for  the  Parkersburg  branch,  which  is 
one  hundred  and  four  miles  long,  while  Wheeling  is 
one  hundred  miles  distant  by  the  main  stem.  Near 
Fairmont,  just  below  the  junction  of  the  Tygart's 
Valley  and  West  Fork  Rivers,  forming  the  Mononga- 
hela,  is  an  iron  bridge  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
length,  which  has  been  destroyed  during  the  re- 
bellion und  since  rebuilt. 

14 


158  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  Hempfield  Railway  is  completed  and  running 
from  Wheeling,  east,  to  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
thirty-five  miles.  It  is  to  be  continued  to  West 
Newton,  fifty-six  miles  from  Wheeling,  on  the  Pitts- 
burg  and  Connellsville  road,  and  thence  to  Greens- 
burg,  on  the  Pennsylvania  Central  road,  seventy-six 
miles.  In  the  route  to  Philadelphia,  this  will  save 
the  distance  from  Greensburg  and  twenty  miles 
additional  —  in  fact,  nearly  half  the  present  distance 
between  Wrheeling  and  Greensburg.  It  will  also 
shorten  the  route  from  Ohio,  especially  eastern  Ohio, 
to  Philadelphia. 

These  are  the  only  railways  at  present  in  operation. 
Others  are  in  contemplation,  and  will  undoubtedly 
be  built  at  an  early  day.  One  has  been  organized 
and  partially  constructed. 

The  Covington  and  Ohio  Railroad,  designed  to 
connect  Richmond  with  the  Ohio  River,  was  com- 
pleted in  1860  from  Covington  to  the  White  Sulphur 
Springs.  The  work  upon  the  road  was  continued, 
and  a  large  sum  of  money  expended  in  grading, 
tunnelling,  and  piers  for  bridges.  The  tunnels  be- 
tween the  Springs  and  the  Gauley  were  approach- 
ing completion,  and  from  Charleston  to  the  Ohio 
the  road  was  in  a  state  of  forwardness.  It  was 
designed  to  connect  at  Catlettsburg,  on  the  Kentucky 
line,  with  the  road  thence  to  Lexington,  which  was 
graded  and  intended  to  be  promptly  finished  as  a 
section  of  a  through  line  to  the  west  and  southwest. 
A  road  through  the  Kanawha  valley,  without  refer- 
ence to  through  business,  was  recognized  as  a 
necessity  in  the  development  of  the  interests  of  this 
inexhaustible  depository  of  natural  wealth,  and 


RAILEOADS.  159 

credited  as  a  paying  investment.  In  a  normal  con- 
dition of  affairs  the  road  would,  at  the  present  time, 
have  been  completed  and  in  receipt  of  a  heavy  trade. 
It  must  eventually  be  built ;  when,  it  would  scarcely 
be  safe  just  now  to  predict. 

Another,  and  under  present  circumstances  more 
important  line,  may  first  be  built — aline  intended 
to  intersect  the  State  centrally  and  longitudinally,  to 
connect  the  Ohio  River  and  Kanawha  Valley  with 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  eventually 
with  roads  connecting  with  Philadelphia  and  New 
York.  A  charter  has  been  granted  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  the  "West  Virginia  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany," for  a  road  from  the  Pennsylvania  and  Ken- 
tucky line,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  River. 
All  the  intermediate  points  are  not  definitely  fixed, 
but  Charleston,  Sutton,  and  Brandonville  indicate 
the  general  direction  of  the  route.  The  crossing  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road  will  be  at  Grafton,  or 
a  short  distance  east  of  that  point.  The  resources 
of  the  central  counties,  in  many  respects  the  most 
desirable  and  valuable  portion  of  the  State,  can 
scarcely  be  developed  without  it  —  certainly  not  to 
the  fullest  extent  —  and  an  early  and  energetic  effort 
will  be  made  to  build  it. 

A  railroad  is  under  construction  from  the  Parkers- 
burg  branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  to 
the  McFarland's  Run  asphaltum  lode.  Another  is 
projected  from  Parkersburg  towards  the  headwaters 
of  the  Little  Kanawha.  Railroad  improvements, 
undertaken  in  the  petroleum  region,  will  be  promptly 
carried  forward  and  completed. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

MINERAL   WEALTH. — COAL. 

WHATEVEB  may  be  said  of  the  capacity  of  this 
new  mountain  State  for  general  agricultural  in- 
dustry, or  for  the  special  rural  enterprises  of  so  much 
promise  as  fruit-growing,  wine-making,  dairying,  or 
wool  production,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  untold 
wealth  is  awaiting  development  in  the  hillsides,  upon 
the  river  banks,  and  in  their  beds,  and  deep  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  Among  the  minerals  may  be 
named  coal,  iron,  lead,  copper,  silver,  antimony, 
nickel,  boras,  soda,  alum,  salt,  lime,  petroleum,  and 
fire-clay.  The  denuding  of  the  surface  by  water  or 
other  agencies,  and  its  excavation  in  deep  and  some- 
times precipitous  ravines,  through  which  its  drainage 
is  secured,  lays  bare  the  several  strata  of  rocks  and 
minerals,  brings  to  view  the  hidden  treasures  of  the 
earth,  and  renders  mining  easy,  and  facilitates  the 
removal  and  distant  transportation  of  the  precious 
deposits  sought. 

The  fact  of  the  existence  of  these  treasures  has 
always  been  known  to  the  settlers,  but  their  worth  has 
never  been  appreciated.  Of  coal  every  man  could 
have  a  bank  of  his  own,  in  many  a  wide  section ;  and 
if  his  house  stood  near  an  outcropping  of  this  ready- 
made  fuel,  it  was  used ;  and  if  the  forest  growth  had 
not  been  cut  away  from  the  vicinity  of  the  rude  home- 
(160) 


MINEEAL   WEALTH. —  COAL.  161 

stead,  the  black  diamonds  remained  in  the  hillside 
unappropriated.  The  hills  were  high,  the  valleys 
winding  and  tangled  with  thickets,  with  few  and  poor 
roads  traversing  them ;  transportation  of  coal  to  dis- 
tant markets  was  therefore  a  discarded  proposition. 
On  the  banks  of  the  principal  rivers,  as  the  Great 
Kanawha  and  some  of  its  lower  tributaries,  coal 
mining  became  feasible,  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  capitalists  from  various  portions  of  this  country 
and  from  Europe.  With  slackwater  improvements, 
the  extent  and  profit  of  such  operations  might  be 
greatly  increased;  and  such  hydraulic  engineering 
was  organized  and  prosecuted  with  some  success. 
The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  opened  another 
avenue  for  coal,  and  stimulated  its  shipment  over  the 
mountains  to  the  cities  of  the  sea. 

A  new  era  is  now  dawning.  The  capitalist  has 
discovered,  with  keen  vision,  the  abundant  coal,  iron, 
petroleum,  and  other  wealth  thus  hidden,  and  the 
central  location  of  the  lands  containing  them ;  he  has 
planted  his  money  in  these  hills,  and  is  determined 
to  gather  a  golden  harvest.  Present  facilities  for 
developing  these  resources  will  be  improved,  and  new 
ones  created.  New  lines  of  railroads  are  already 
projected,  and  will  be  built;  and  the  navigation  of 
all  rivers  that  are  at  any  time  navigable,  will  be  per- 
fected. The  most  energetic  men  of  our  principal 
cities  are  among  those  interested  in  these  improve- 
ments; and  professional  men,  editors,  government 
officials,  and  Congressmen,  have  interests  in  these 
mineral  lands. 

While  extensive  purchases  of  coal  lands  have 
recently  been  made  by  individuals  and  companies 

14* 


162  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

from  different  States,  foreign  capitalists  have  been 
busy,  and  valuable  property  has  been  secured  by 
them. 

Of  the  coal  measures  of  West  Virginia,  and  the 
peculiarities  of  their  varied  deposits,  the  limits  of 
the  present  volume  and  the  absence  of  any  complete 
and  reliable  data  from  geological  surveys,  prevent 
an  attempt  at  scientific  description.  They  embrace 
nearly  the  entire  surface  of  the  State,  but  are  not 
available  in  the  central  portions  towards  the  river, 
except  to  a  limited  extent,  from  the  fact  that  this  is 
the  centre  of  the  basin,  and  the  principal  seams  are 
far  beneath  the  surface.  In  other  sections  some  of 
the  heavier  seams  are  everywhere  found  in  available 
locations.  Coal  is  found  in  immense  beds  in  the 
Panhandle;  it  crops  out  at  different  elevations  on 
the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  and  its  numerous 
branches,  away  up  among  their  sources ;  the  hills  of 
the  Cheat  River  region  are  black  with  seams  that 
are  in  some  cases  ten  to  twelve  feet  thick  of  solid 
coal.  The  coal  fields  of  the  Kanawha  valley  are 
scarcely  excelled,  and  perhaps  not  equalled,  in 
variety  and  quantity,  upon  the  continent;  while  in 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains,  among  the  head 
waters  of  the  Potomac,  great  deposits  of  bituminous 
and  semi-bituminous  are  successfully  worked. 

The  following  items  relative  to  coal,  from  the 
geological  report  of  Professor  Rogers,  made  long 
since  and  previous  to  the  opening  of  many  successful 
mines,  will  give  a  hint  merely  of  the  great  wealth 
of  these  Alleghanian  coal-fields : 

"At  Clarksburg  and  northward  down  the  valley  of  the 


MINEEAL   WEALTH.  —  COAL.  163 

Monongahela,  there  exists  one  of  the  richest  coal 
deposits  in  the  State.  One  of  the  seams  in  some  places 
in  the  neighborhood  of  this  town  is  from  ten  to  twelve 
feet  in  thickness,  below  which,  and  separated  chiefly  by 
a  heavy  bed  of  sandstone,  there  lies  a  thinner  stratum 
of  a  more  highly  bituminous  character.  *  *  *  •*  ^ye 
may  form  some  idea  of  the  vast  extent  of  these  coal 
seams  from  the  fact,  that  from  some  distance  above 
Clarksburg  they  may  be  followed  with  scarcely  any 
interruptions  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  valley 
of  the  JVlonongahela  down  to  Pittsburg. 

"  On  the  Great  Kanawha  the  exposure  of  coal  is  one 
of  the  most  extensive  and  valuable  anywhere  in  the 
United  States. 

"  In  Hampshire  county,  upon  a  stratum  of  valuable 
iron  ore  not  less  than  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  there 
rests  a  bed  of  sandstone,  upon  which  reposes  a  coal  seam 
three  feet  thick ;  above  this  another  bed  of  sandstone, 
then  a  two-feet  vein  of  coal,  then  sandstone,  then 
another  coal  seam  of  four  feet;  again  a  stratum  of  sand- 
stone, and  over  it  a  seven-feet  vein  of  coal ;  over  this  a 
heavy  bed  of  iron  ore;  and  crowning  the  series,  an 
enormous  coal  seam  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
thickness." 

In  his  geological  report  of  the  survey  of  Ken- 
tucky, David  Dale  Owen,  after  reference  to  the 
abundant  coal  west  of  the  Big  Sandy,  the  dividing 
line  between  West  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  says, 
"  that  the  coal  beds  increase  in  thickness  and  num- 
ber east  of  the  Big  Sandy ;  and  as  far  as  can  be 
seen  in  unwrought  outcrop,  the  coal  appears  to  be 
of  excellent  quality." 

Professor  Rogers  gives  analyses  of  the  following 
coals  among  many  other  bituminous  coals  of  West 
Virginia:  From  Little  Sewell  Mountain,  near  the 
top,  carbon  80.24  per  cent,  volatile  matter  17.48, 
ash  2.28 ;  from  the  east  side  of  Big  Sewell,  composed 
chiefly  of  shining  jet  black  lamina?,  carbon  75.88, 


164  WEST    VIEGINIA. 

volatile  matter  22.32,  ash  1.80;  from  the  flank  of 
Big  Sewell,  carbon  67.84,  volatile  matter  30.08,  ash 
2.08  ;  from  Mill  Creek,  Fayette  county,  carbon  71.88, 
volatile  matter  26.20,  ash  1.92 ;  from  Stockton's 
Mine,  near  Mill  (Kanawha  valley),  carbon  74.55, 
volatile  matter  21.13,  ash  4.32 ;  from  L.  Ruffiier's, 
Campbell's  Creek,  carbon  55.76,  volatile  matter 
32.44,  ash  11.80 ;  from  Cox  and  Hannah's  (third 
seam),  carbon  51.41,  volatile  matter  42.55,  ash  6.04; 
from  Daniel  Ruffner's  (upper  seam),  carbon  49.84, 
volatile  matter  35.04,  ash  8.56.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  coal  near  Charleston,  in  Kanawha  County,  is 
exceedingly  prolific  in  volatile  elements  or  oil. 
From  the  Kingwood  basin,  in  Preston  county,  car- 
bon 65.32,  volatile  matter  31.75.  ash  6.91 ;  from  R. 
Formau's,  carbon  73.68,  volatile  matter  21.00,  ash 
5.32;  from  Hagan's,  Kingwood  basin,  carbon  68.32, 
volatile  matter  26.48,  ash  5.20 ;  from  main  seam  at 
Clarksburg  (cannel  in  middle  of  seam),  carbon  49.21, 
volatile  matter  45.43,  ash  5.36  ;  coal  from  main  seam 
at  Morgantown,  carbon  60.54,  volatile  matter  37.30, 
ash  2.14;  from  the  Hampshire  and  Hardy  basins, 
coal  from  the  lower  seam  at  Brantburg,  carbon  72.40, 
volatile  matter  16.72,  ash  7.88 ;  from  Oliver's  tract, 
twelve-foot  seam,  carbon  79.08,  volatile  matter  16.28, 
ash  4.64 ;  from  falls  of  Stony  River,  Hardy  county, 
carbon  79.16,  volatile  matter  15.52,  ash  5.32  ;  from 
near  Abraham's  Creek,  carbon  72.40,  volatile  matter 
15.20,  ash  12.40;  from  Stony  River,  north  of  turn- 
pike, carbon  83.36,  volatile  matter  13.28,  ash  3.36. 
The  bituminous  coals,  as  at  Clarksburg,  so  rich  in 
volatile  matter,  are  extensively  mined,  and  sent  over 
the  mountains  hundreds  of  miles,  to  be  used  for  gas- 
making  in  the  Eastern  cities. 


COAL.  165 

Benjamin  IT.  Smith,  United  States  District  Attor- 
ney, resident  at  Charleston,  writes  upon  this  subject: 

"Pour-fifths  of  "West  Virginia  lie  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  Cumberland  range,  and  nearly  all  the  coun- 
try west  of  it  abounds  in  coal ;  but  in  that  part  of  the 
State  on  the  Great  Kanawha  and  its  tributaries,  Elk  and 
Coal  Rivers,  and  on  Guyandotte  River,  coal  is  found  on 
a  magnificent  scale.  It  exists  in  numerous  strata  of  dif- 
ferent thicknesses,  rising  from  the  base  of  the  hills  to 
their  tops,  all  nearly  horizontal  and  slightly  dipping  to 
the  north.  This  place  is  sixty  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  Here  the  hills  become  lofty,  and  increase  in 
elevation  to  Cotton  Hill  or  Gauley  Mountain.  Ascend- 
ing the  river  a  distance  of  thirty-six  miles,  coal  of  all 
varieties,  except  the  anthracite,  is  found  of  superior 
quality  —  the  cannel,  splint,  bituminous,  and  all  varieties 
of  each.  Geologists  and  others  report,  in  those  thirty- 
six  miles  at  different  points,  workable  strata  of  good 
coals,  amounting  in  all  to  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  feet 
in  thickness,  aggregating  the  several  strata.  These 
strata  are  severally  from  three  to  fourteen  feet  thick. 
They  extend  over  the  whole  country  for  miles,  running 
from  creek  to  creek,  and  river  to  river.  They  are  readily 
made  accessible  to  the  Great  Kanawha,  Guyandotte,  or 
Big  Sandy  Rivers..  *  *  *  The  amount  of  coal  on 
the  Kanawha  and  its  tributaries,  Elk  and  Coal  Rivers,  is 
incredible.  There  is  nothing  equal  to  it  anywhere." 

C.  S.  Richardson,  of  the  Briarport  mines,  writes 
thus  of  the  'coal  in  the  vicinity  of  Charleston : 

"In  the  vicinity  of  Charleston,  to  the  northeast  and 
northwest,  the  strata  is  nearly  level,  the  rise  and  dip 
being  mere  gentle  undulations;  they  consist  of  gray, 
brown,  red,  and  white  sandstone,  the  latter  being  highly 
fossiliferous,  narrow  bands  of  blue  clay  slate,  beds  of  clay 
and  sandy  shales,  thin  seams  of  iron  ore,  and  isolated 
patches  of  limestone.  Above  the  slates  are  found  thin 
seams  of  very  rich  hematite,  many  stones  of  which  I 
have  found  that  will  assay  up  to  sixty  per  cent,  in  me- 


166  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

tallic  iron  ;  but  the  prevailing  ore  is  the  carbonate  of 
iron  found  in  the  kidney  or  nodular  form,  in  uneven  seg- 
regated beds  in  a  strong  ferruginous  sandstone.  At 
Davis's  Creek,  about  midway  between  Coal  and  Kanawha 
Rivers,  are  two  seams  of  coal,  one  of  cannel,  two  of  iron 
and  two  of  limestone,  all  within  three  hundred  feet  above 
water  level.  The  general  contour  of  the  country  pre- 
sents a  series  of  narrow  mountain  ridges  and  ravines, 
varying  from  three  to  five  hundred  feet  in  height;  in 
these,  and  all  above  the  water  levels,  are  five  workable 
seams  of  coal,  one  a  very  rich  bituminous,  somewhat 
friable,  two  of  compact  splint,  and  two  of  cannel,  the 
latter  being  the  uppermost  of  the  series.  The  bitumin- 
ous, or  square-jointed  seam,  is  three  feet  six  inches  thick, 
of  rich  quality.  One  splint  seam,  called  the  '  twin  seam/ 
is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  parting  argillaceous  sand- 
stone, eighteen  inches  thick;  the  entire  stratification,  or 
bed,  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet ;  it  gives  seven  feet  of 
working  coal.  In  some  places,  both  these  beds  are 
merged  into  one,  where  the  coal  is  found  from  five  to 
six  feet  thick.  The  next  splint  seam  is  four  feet,  and  in 
working  gives  about  three  feet  of  merchantable  coal. 
The  upper  cannel  seam  is  four  feet,  and  contains  about 
two  feet  six  inches  of  pure  cannel ;  it  is  of  a  slaty,  or 
partially  laminated  structure ;  it  is  not  very  good  for 
domestic  fuel,  but  excellent  for  gas  and  oil-making  pur- 
poses, as  also  for  steamboat  uses,  as  it  burns  entirely 
away  in  flame.  The  second  cannel  seam  varies  in  thick- 
ness from  four  to  six  feet,  and  gives  from  two  to  four 
feet  of  fine  cannel;  it  is  not  always  found  uniform  in 
character,  but  where  perfect  it  is  a  hard  coal,  conchoidal 
in  fracture,  very  dense,  black  and  clean,  burns  with  a 
bright  white  flame,  is  very  rich  in  oil,  makes  an  excel- 
lent domestic  fuel,  particularly  that  part  of  it  called  the 
'  birdseye  cannel.'  When  this  coal  is  used  no  other  light 
in  the  room  is  needed,  as  candles  or  oil-lamps  look  dim 
in  the  glare  given  off  in  its  combustion.  This  seam  is, 
however,  a  very  unreliable  one;  in  some  estates  it  is 
found  changed  entirely,  or  nearly  so,  into  bituminous 
coal;  in  others  half  cannel  and  half  bituminous.  It  ap- 
pears best,  or  more  regular,  when  imbedded  in  shales  or 
laminated  argillaceous  sandstone,  and  is  much  easier 
wrought.  In  some  mines  it  is  between  two  hard  rocks, 


COAL.  167 

without  any  vein  of  clay  or  shale  for  'bearing  in,'  which 
makes  it  difficult  to  mine ;  in  this  case  it  is  excessively 
hard,  and  breaks  before  the  pick  like  a  piece  of  black 
flint ;  but  the  coal  is  very  fine,  and  sells  at  a  high  price.  I 
believe  it  is  undergoing  a  state  of  transition,  and  eventu- 
ally would  bear  the  same  relation  to  common  cannel  as 
anthracite  docs  to  splint  coal.  If  we  take  an  average 
yield  of  the  cannel  seams,  we  may  compute  them  safely 
at  four  thousand  tons  to  the  acre;  but  in  some  places 
they  are  giving  over  nine  thousand  tons,  in  others  less 
than  three  thousand.  The  bituminous  coal  will  average 
sixteen  thousand  tons  to  the  acre  over  about  two-thirds 
of  the  surface  base  of  the  mountain  lands.  Cannel  coal 
is  now  selling  on  the  Ohio  at  four  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
per  ton,  and  the  best  bituminous  at  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  per  ton.  The  mining  cost  may  be  put  down  at 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  ton,  average ;  but  that 
would  be  materially  reduced  if  the  mining  companies 
could  be  persuaded  to  adopt  modern  improvements  in 
the  more  of  working  the  mines.  The  time,  however, 
has  not  arrived  when  such  can  be  done,  although  we  have 
great  hopes  another  year  will  not  pass  without  some 
example  being  set,  which  when  once  done  efficiently, 
others  will  speedily  follow.  Coal  and  cannel  selling  at 
the  above  prices,  a  good  estate,  properly  wrought,  will 
realize  fifty-eight  thousand  dollars  per  acre,  one-half 
nearly  being  profit." 

This  description  was  prepared  several  years  ago 
for  the  "Mining  Journal,"  in  London.  The  cannel 
coal  is  now  worth  twelve  dollars  in  Ohio,  and  the 
bituminous  from  five  to  seven  dollars.  The  cost  of 
mining  is  also  largely  increased. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IRON.  —  SALT.  —  LIMESTONE.  —  OTHER   MINERALS. 


iron  ores  of  "West  Virginia  are  destined  to 
-L  prove  prolific  sources  of  wealth  when  capital 
shall  organize  labor  for  their  reduction,  and  avenues 
of  communication  to  commercial  centres  are  some- 
what increased.  Furnaces  exist  in  the  valley  and  in 
Preston  county,  and  possibly  other  sections  of  the 
State.  The  ores  are  hematites  of  various  aspects, 
many  of  them  yielding  a  high  percentage  of  metal 
of  the  finest  character. 

The  ores  of  Laurel  Hill  have  long  been  worked. 
They  occur  in  two  groups  on  the  western  slope  (ac- 
cording to  Rogers),  the  upper  one  above  the  second 
seam  of  coal  resting  upon  a  lead-colored  sandstone, 
and  overlaid  by  silicious  slates.  The  ore  occurs  in 
large  nodules,  variable  in  size,  sometimes  fine-grained, 
but  generally  coarse,  and  much  resembling  sand- 
stone, giving  indications  of  its  existence  only  after 
burning.  Underlying  the  lowest  coal  seam  are  two 
bands  of  ore,  each  about  a  foot  in  thickness,  sepa- 
rated by  shales  and  consisting  chiefly  of  the  per-oxide 
of  a  shaly  texture.  Next  below  comes  a  layer  of 
white  sandstone  ;  then  a  bed  of  ore  six  or  eight  inches 
thick,  undecomposed,  a  compact  proto-carbonate  ; 
and  lower  still  among  the  shales  lies  another  thin 
(168) 


IRON   ORES.  169 

band  of  ore,  underlaid  with  limestone,  from  which 
the  flux  is  obtained  for  iron  furnaces. 

Furnaces  have  recently  been  erected  in  Preston 
County,  which  are  producing  from  ore  bearing  a  high 
percentage  of  pure  metal,  large  quantities  of  iron  of 
a  superior  quality.  In  the  Kanawha  coal  fields 
there  is  an  inexhaustible  deposit  of  iron  ore  of  good 
quality. 

The  iron  of  West  Virginia  is  almost  co-extensive 
with  its  coal,  and  may  be  said  to  exist  literally  through- 
out the  State,  and  may  be  worked  to  advantage  at 
least  throughout  the  mountain  districts. 

Specimens  of  ore  from  the  north  branch  of  the 
Potomac  have  yielded  some  sixty-eight  and  some 
seventy-eight  per  cent. ;  in  Monogahela  several  spe- 
cimens from  sixty  to  ninety-three  per  cent. ;  in  Pres- 
ton County,  sixty-five,  sixty-nine,  seventy-one,  and 
eighty-two  per  cent. 

The  following  references  to  samples  of  ore  in  dif- 
ferent localities  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  quality  of 
a  mineral  that  is  widely  diffused  throughout  the  State. 
From  Keller's  Creek,  Kanawha,  nodular  ore,  dull 
reddish  grey,  fracture  somewhat  conchoidal,  82.55 
per  cent,  carbonate  of  iron.  From  Nicholas,  ore  oc- 
curring in  the. hills  in  rounded  masses,  texture  brittle, 
color  chestnut  brown,  80.75  per  cent,  oxide  of  iron. 
From  Dividing  Ridge  between  Eighteen  Mile  Creek 
and  Kanawha  River,  structure  massive,  color  brown, 
with  micaceous  points,  83  per  cent,  peroxide  of  iron. 
From  Capon  Mountain,  structure  cellular,  cells  lined 
with  hematate,  color  chestnut  brown,  84.80  per  cent, 
peroxide  of  iron.  Ores  equally  rich  are  found  in 
Preston  County,  and  thence  south  along  the  western 

15 


170  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

slopes  of  the  parallel  mountain  ranges,  throughout 
the  Kanawha  Valley,  and  in  the  southern  group  of 
counties  drained  by  the  Guyandotte  and  Big  Sandy 
Rivers  and  their  tributaries.  It  occurs  in  various 
forms  and  combinations.  Comparatively  little  has 
been  done,  thus  far,  towards  the  development  of 
this  branch  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  State.  A 
beginning  has  been  made  in  Preston  County,  a  few 
small  furnaces  having  produced  iron  of  superior  ex- 
cellence. Persevering  and  systematic  enterprise  will 
eventually  yield  valuable  results  along  the  lines  of 
railroad  and  river  communication.  Young,  energetic 
men  will  yet  occupy  this  field,  open  these  ores,  provide 
employment  for  many  willing  hands,  and  eventually 
amass  fortunes  for  themselves. 

The  saline  formation  has  been  little  explored,  ex- 
cept in  Mason  and  Kanawha  counties.  It  is  associated 
with  the  vast  strata  of  sandstone  that  underlies  the 
whole  of  this  section  and  the  southwestern  counties 
of  Virginia,  in  some  of  which  large  quantities  of  salt 
have  of  late  been  manufactured  in  the  interest  of  the 
rebellion.  The  inference  has  been  deemed  reason- 
able, from  the  western  dip  of  the  white  sandstone 
from  which  the  Kanawha  brine  is  obtained,  that  salt 
might  be  reached  in  the  mountains  up  the  river  much 
nearer  the  surface  ;  and  salt  has  actually  been  manu- 
factured upon  New  and  Greenbrier  Rivers,  but  with 
comparatively  little  success  as  yet. 

The  works  on  the  Kanawha,  a  few  miles  above 
Charleston,  are  extensive  and  productive.  The  wells 
are  several  hundred  feet  in  depth,  yielding  a  brine 
of  remarkable  purity,  almost  absolutely  free  from 


KANAWHA   SALT   WOKKS.  171 

sulphate  of  lime  or  gypsum,  and  therefore  evaporated 
and  crystallized  with  fewer  difficulties  than  usual, 
and  brought  to  market  as  muriate  of  soda  of  nearly 
absolute  chemical  purity.  A  specimen  received  from 
General  Lewis  Ruffner,  of  the  Kanawha  salines,  may 
be  seen  at  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  Experi- 
ence has  demonstrated  the  superiority  of  this  salt 
over  any  other  manufactured  in  the  county.  Meat 
cured  with  it  has  kept,  while  that  put  up  with  foreign 
and  other  American  salts,  under  similar  circumstances, 
has  spoiled. 

Extensive  saltworks  exist  in  Mason  County,  making 
a  product  of  excellent  quality.  The  total  manufac- 
ture of  1863  is  stated  as  follows :  Mason  County 
Mining  and  Manufacturing  Company,  eight  million 
eighty-one  thousand  and  three  hundred  pounds ; 
Mason  City  Salt  Company,  eight  million  six  hundred 
and  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  pounds ;  Union 
Salt  Company,  four  million  five  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  thousand  and  fifty  pounds.  Total,  twenty-one 
million  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  or  nearly  a  half  million 
bushels.  The  product  was  large  in  1864. 

Immense  quantities  of  coal  have  been  used  in 
salt-boiling,  and  millions  of  bushels  of  salt  produced. 
The  Kanawha  works  have  been  much  interrupted, 
since  1861,  by  rebel  incursions  and  dearth  of  labor, 
but  last  year  produced  a  million  of  bushels. 

Limestone  is  generally  diffused  throughout  the 
State.  The  valley  counties  are  largely  of  a  lime- 
stone formation,  interspersed  with  layers  of  slate. 
The  Mountain  Pass  at  Greenbrier  exhibits  every- 


172  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

where  limestone,  interspersed  with  slate  and  shales. 
Throughout  the  mountain  region,  and  everywhere 
among  the  iron  and  coal  deposits,  abundance  of 
limestone  is  found.  In  the  lower  Kanawha,  helow 
Charleston,  arenaceous  and  argillaceous  rocks  are 
presented,  with  thin  layers  of  limestone  of  diiferent 
degrees  of  purity,  in  some  cases  containing  sufficient 
alumina  to  give  it  a  hydraulic  character.  Interposed 
between  seams  of  coal,  thick  beds  of  limestone  occur 
on  the  Ohio  River  at  Wheeling  and  vicinity.  Asso- 
ciated with  the  coals  of  the  Monongahela  and  Tygart's 
Valley  and  other  branches  are  beds  of  limestone  and 
sandstone,  both  increasing  in  thickness  as  the  coal 
diminishes.  There  is  little  lack  of  this  material,  so 
valuable  to  agriculture,  iron-working,  and  the  build- 
ing arts. 

Specimens  from  Patterson's  Creek,  in  Hampshire, 
are  of  grayish  drab  color,  compact  texture,  moderately 
fine  grain,  structure  slaty,  bearing  ninety-three  per 
cent,  of  carbonate  of  lime.  From  Muddy  Creek 
Mountain,  near  the  Blue  Sulphur  Spring,  of  a  light 
gray  color  and  fine  grain,  containing  ninety-eight 
per  cent.  From  east  side  of  Laurel  Hill,  in  Monon- 
galia  County,  of  a  light  yellow  and  gray  color, 
partially  sub-crystalline,  ninety  per  cent.  From  the 
Cheat  River,  in  Preston  County,  light-gray,  with  blue 
stripes,  sixty-eight  per  cent.  From  Red  Creek,  in 
Randolph  County,  of  light  gray  color  and  compact 
texture,  eighty-two  per  cent.  From  Morgantown,  in 
Monongalia,  dove-colored  and  sub-crystalline,  and 
very  hydraulic*,  fifty-seven  per  cent,  carbonate  of 
lime,  nineteen  per  cent,  magnesia,  and  nine  per 


CALCAREOUS    MANURES.  173 

cent,  alumina.  A  great  variety  exists  in  quality, 
color,  and  texture.  Hydraulic  limestone  is  very 
abundant  in  Ohio,  Harrison,  Preston,  Monongalia, 
Hampshire,  and  other  counties,  and  in  the  Kanawha 
Valley. 

In  Jefferson  County,  and  in  all  portions  of  the 
valley  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  exists  a  deposit  of 
marl,  in  beds  of  considerable  thickness.  It  is  found 
in  the  beds  of  nearly  all  the  streams,  being  formed 
by  a  precipitation  of  calcareous  matter  from  the  lime- 
stone waters.  It  is  known  to  geologists  as  travertine. 
From  it  a  very  pure  lime  is  obtained,  commanding  a 
high  price  in  the  market,  and  its  value  to  agriculture, 
from  its  general  diffusion  and  attainment  without  the 
labor  of  quarrying,  is  not  liable  to  undue  appreciation. 
Much  of  it  is  obtained  in  a  state  so  friable  that  it  may 
be  applied,  as  it  is  in  Europe,  directly  to  the  soil,  like 
marl,  obviating  the  expense  of  burning.  Calcareous 
manures  have  proved  of  incalculable  benefit  to  Eastern 
Virginia,  and  have  been  applied  with  benefit  to  the 
calcareous  soils  of  the  valley.  Each  section  of  country, 
in  all  the  States,  has  natural  elements  of  fertility  which, 
with  skilled  husbandry,  in  co-operation  with  the  ame- 
liorations resulting  from  stock-growing,  are  ample  for 
all  the  demands  of  high  culture.  This  chalky  deposit 
is  only  one  of  many  elements  of  fertility  existing  in 
Virginia. 

Lead  has  been  discovered  in  the  petroleum  region, 
in  recent  prospecting  for  oil,  and  has  long  been 
known  to  exist  in  other  sections  of  the  State.  The 
lead  mines  of  southwestern  Virginia,  which  are  not 
included,  however,  within  the  limits  of  West  Virginia, 

15* 


174  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

were  worked  by  white  men  nearly  a  century  since  ; 
were  noticed  by  Jefferson  in  1781,  and  were  known  to 
the  Indians  long  previously. 

Copper,  and  a  long  list  of  other  minerals,  are 
claimed  among  the  resources  of  the  State,  the  value 
of  which  the  future  must  decide.  Of  petroleum  ex- 
tended notice  will  be  taken  in  another  portion  of 
this  volume. 

Mineral  waters,  in  remarkable  variety,  exist  in  all 
portions  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  others  still 
more  noted  and  valuable  are  scattered  among  the 
mountain  glades  of  Greenbrier  County.  These,  with 
those  in  Berkeley,  are  in  West  Yirginia.  There  are 
thermal,  saline,  carbonated,  and  sulpuretted  waters, 
acidulous  water,  impregnated  with  carbonic  acid,  in 
some  instances  combining  gas  equal  to  one-half  of 
the  amount  of  the  water  itself.  Sulphur,  iron,  lime, 
magnesia,  and  other  elements,  variously  mingled, 
give  these  waters  their  peculiar  characteristics  of 
color,  taste,  and  medicinal  effect.  Professor  Rogers 
thus  refers  to  them:  "Viewed  singly,  in  relation  to 
the  number,  variety,  and  high  reputation  of  its  mineral 
waters,  this  region  is  well  entitled  to  be  proud  of  the 
vast  resources  of  which  it  is  possessed.  Grouped,  as 
these  springs  are,  at  moderate  distances  apart,  pre- 
senting within  the  same  district  a  variety  of  medici- 
nal character,  for  which,  in  other  countries,  regions 
remote  from  each  other  require  to  be  visited  in  succes- 
sion, placed  at  a  point  equally  accessible  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  seaboard  and  the  great  Valley  of 
the  West,  and  situated  in  a  region  of  grateful  sum- 
mer temperature,  of  salubrious  climate,  and  of  pic- 


MINERAL    SPRINGS.  175 

turesque  and  diversified  natural  beauties,  they  are 
now  rapidly  attaining  a  celebrity  for  powerful  and 
varied  remedial  qualities,  as  well  as  for  the  refined 
social  enjoyments  which  are  annually  gathered  around 
them,  destined  ere  long  to  eclipse  the  older  reputa- 
tion of  the  famed  fountains  of. the  Northern  States, 
and  to  vie  even  with  the  long-established  character 
of  the  most  noted  of  the  watering-places  of  the  Old 
World." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

PETROLEUM.  —  ITS    WIDE    DISTRIBUTION.  —  DISCOVERY    IN 
WEST   VIRGINIA. 

THE  astonishing  magnitude  into  which  the  subject 
of  petroleum  has  arisen  within  ten  years  past, 
and  the  important  part  which  West  Virginia  is  des- 
tined to  play  in  the  development  of  this  interest, 
now  so  prominent  before  the  world,  require  more 
than  a  single  chapter  in  the  present  exhibit  of  the 
resources  of  the  State.  Long  before  the  permanent 
settlement  of  the  region,  the  rock  oil  was  known, 
collected,  and  used  by  the  Indians ;  but  it  elicited 
scarcely  more  attention  from  the  early  settlers  than 
one  of  the  many  mineral  springs  for  which  Virginia 
is  noted.  Discovery  and  invention  had  not  as  yet 
transmuted  its  oily  flow  into  a  stream  of  wealth. 
When  "the  dollar"  was  made  manifest  in  it,  a  frac- 
tional currency  of  petroleum  was  visible  in  every 
mountain  ravine,  and  glistened  on  the  surface  of 
many  a  run  and  river.  Speculation  gleamed  in  every 
eye ;  even  the  staid  farmer  and  wild  woodsman 
caught  the  infection ;  every  scene  was  painted  in 
roseate  tints  in  oil  colors  ;  the  whole  course  of  busi- 
ness was  lubricated,  and  men  of  all  trades  and  pro- 
fessions naturally  slipped  into  the  alluring  channel. 
Crude  countrymen,  refined  citizens,  even  the  double- 

(176) 


PETROLEUM.  177 

distilled  exquisites  of  tlie  beau  monde,  unwilling  to 
let  "well  enough  alone,"  sought  the  favors  of  Dame 
Fortune,  fickle  now  no  longer.  Sought — arid  found. 
And  the  search  is  not  over.  How  will  it  result? 
Before  essaying  an  answer,  a  broad  field  must  be 
glanced  over;  it  must  be  seen  what  petroleum  is, 
where  found,  and  in  what  relation  to  the  great  sub- 
ject stands  West  Virginia. 

The  existence  of  rock  oil  is  no  new  thing  under 
the  sun.  Job,  in  his  adversity,  alluded  to  it  as  one 
of  the  sources  of  his  former  prosperity — "when  the 
rock  poured  me  out  rivers  of  oil."  Its  record  has 
been  a  part  of  the  history  of  Greece.  Alexander 
visited  the  oil  springs  of  the  Euphrates,  which  are 
flowing  still ;  and  Trajan  and  Julian  were  attracted 
by  their  wonders  to  that  Eastern  land.  The  spring 
mentioned  by  Herodotus  at  Zante,  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  is  now  visited  by  oil  hunters,  and  will 
doubtless  soon  be  found  in  companionship  with  the 
derrick  and  drill.  Tacitus,  Pliny,  Vitruvius,  and 
others,  testified  of  petroleum.  A  very  pure  white 
naphtha  is  found  in  Persia;  and  a  very  dark  petro- 
leum, of  high  value,  flows  from  a  mountain  there. 
It  exists  in  modern  Parma,  Florence,  Sicily,  the 
Caspian  shores,  Derbyshire  in  England,  and  in 
France.  Just  east  of  Yaynangheaum,  or  Oil  Creek, 
on  the  Irrawadcly,  in  Burmah,  are  said  to  be  more 
than  five  hundred  square  curbed  wells,  three  feet  in 
diameter,  and  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet 
deep,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  petroleum  boils  up, 
and  whence  it  is  taken  up  and  stored  in  earthen 
pots,  in  quantities  sufficient  to  fill  four  hundred 
thousand  hogsheads  per  year. 


178  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

In  Southern  Russia  it  is  gathered  in  shallow  pits, 
scarce  twenty  feet  in  depth,  as  it  flows  from  beneath 
the  neighboring  hills.  A  live  Yankee,  Colonel 
Gowan,  is  said  to  have  organized  an  oil  company  to 
develop  the  oils  of  the  coast  of  Azof,  and  bought  an 
oil  spring  on  the  island  of  Samos,  that  was  known 
B.C.  450.  The  economical  Chinese  have  turned  to 
use,  for  heating  purposes,  the  carburetted  hydrogen 
gas  from  time  immemorial.  Dr.  Livingston  disco- 
vered rock  oil  in  the  central  recesses  of  Africa. 

In  Cuba  petroleum  runs  from  the  rents  of  the 
serpentine  formation.  The  well  known  lake  of 
bitumen  in  Trinidad,  is  familiar  to  the  tyro  in  oil. 
Oil  springs  exist  in  the  sea  —  a  notable  one  rising 
through  the  water  south  of  Vesuvius,  and  others 
near  the  volcanoes  near  Cape  Verde. 

In  South  America  the  oily  treasure  abounds.  It 
floats  upon  the  waters  of  Maracaibo  lake,  and  illu- 
mines the  night  with  phosphoric  fires  from  the 
vapors  of  an  asphalt  mine  upon  its  margin.  The 
naturalist  Bousingault  alludes  to  great  basins  of  it 
upon  the  Magdalena  River,  on  the  northern  shores 
of  ^ew  Granada,  in  Venezuela,  and  in  Peru ;  while 
the  traveller  Humboldt  confirms  its  abundant  ex- 
istence in  South  America  and  in  the  West  Indies. 
Yet  it  is  reserved  for  the  United  States  to  show  the 
most  marvelous  results  in  this  department  of 
nature's  laboratory,  all  along  the  western  slope  of 
the  Alleghauies  and  in  portions  of  the  great  central 
valley.  Canada  is  also  rich  in  this  mineral  wealth. 

The  oil  springs  of  "West  Virginia  were  known  to 
the  earliest  visitors  of  that  region,  even  before  the 
hardiest  pioneers  had  attempted  a  settlement. 


BURNING   SPRINGS.  179 

The  Connecticut  Gazette,  published  at  New  Lon- 
don, Connecticut,  of  the  date  of  June  2,  1786,  gives 
"  accounts  of  several  remarkable  springs  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia,  extracted  from  a  letter  from 
Benjamin  Lincoln  to  President  Willard,  published 
in  the  first  volume  of  'Memoirs  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences."1  The  spring  at 
Oil  Creek  is  described,  and  one  "in  the  western 
part  of  Virginia,  as  extrordinary  in  its  kind  as  the 
one  just  mentioned,  called  Burning  Spring.  It  was 
known  a  long  time  to  the  hunters.  A  party  arriving 
late  one  night,  after  making  a  fire,  sought  the  spring, 
taking  a  fire  brand  to  light  their  way,  and  were 
astonished  to  see  the  whole  surface  of  the  spring 
take  fire  and  blaze  high  in  the  air."  This  was 
probably  not  the  Burning  Spring  on  the  Little  Kana- 
wha, where  oil  operations  have  recently  been  so 
successful,  but  the  more  accessible  spring  on  the 
Great  Kanawha,  of  which  Jefferson  thus  wrote  in 
1781  :— 

"  In  the  lower  grounds  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  seven 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Elk  Kiver,  and  sixty-seven 
above  that  of  the  Kanawha  itself,  is  a  hole  in  the  earth 
of  the  capacity  of  thirty  or  forty  gallons,  from  which 
issues  a  bituminous  vapor  in  so  strong  a  current  as  to 
give  to  the  sand  about  its  orifice  the  motion  which  it  has 
in  a  boiling  spring.  On  presenting  a  lighted  candle  or 
torch  within  eighteen  inches  of  the  hole  it  flames  up  in 
a  column  of  eighteen  inches  diameter,  and  of  four  or  five 
feet  in  height,  which  sometimes  burns  out  within  twenty 
minutes,  and  at  other  times  has  been  known  to  6ontinue 
three  days,  and  then  has  been  still  left  burning.  The 
flame  is  unsteady,  of  the  density  of  that  of  burning 
spirits,  and  smells  like  burning  pit  coal." 

This  "  spring,"  so  called  because  it  contains  water 


180  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

after  a  rain,  was  in  existence  until  its  source  was 
recently  tapped  by  a  neighboring  well.  It  is  on 
land  entered  by  General  Washington,  one  acre  of 
which  is  reserved  by  his  will  for  the  use  of  the 
public.  The  flame  resembled  that  of  burning  whis- 
key. It  was  sometimes  turned  to  useful  account  in 
clothes-washing,  the  water  boiling  till  evaporated, 
and  the  gas,  which  bubbled  through  small  orifices  in 
the  sand,  continued  to  burn  till  extinguished  by 
wind  or  other  agency. 

Twenty  years  ago,  or  more,  in  boring  in  this 
vicinity  to  the  depth  of  nine  hundred  feet  for  salt, 
similar  streams  of  gas  were  struck,  which  poured 
forth  a  dense  volume,  and  were  employed  in  a  salt 
furnace  for  heating  purposes,  being  equivalent  to 
eight  hundred  bushels  of  coal.  These  have  ceased 
to  flow,  but  two  others  are  still  used,  supporting 
combustion  in  a  salt  furnace  equal  to  two  hundred 
bushels  of  coal. 

The  numerous  salt  wells  of  this  vicinity  have 
evolved  enormous  volumes  of  gas,  and  from  some  of 
them  have  flowed  large  quantities  of  petroleum. 
^The  following  description  of  the  "  Gas  Wells  of 
Kanawha,"  is  from  the  Lexington  Gazette: 

"  They  are  in  fact  a  new  thing  under  the  sun  ;  for  in 
all  the  history  of  the  world,  it  does  not  appear  that  a 
fountain  of  strong  brine  was  ever  before  known  to  be 
mingled  with  a  fountain  of  inflammable  gas,  sufficient  to 
pump  it  out  in  a  constant  stream,  and  then,  by  its  com- 
bustion, to  evaporate  the  whole  into  salt  of  the  best 
quality. 

"  The  coiintry  is  mountainous,  and  the  low  grounds 
along  the  river  are  altogether  alluvial,  of  about  a  mile 
in  wiilih.  having  been  at  some  time  the  bed  of  the  river. 
The  rocks  are  chiefly  sandstone  of  various  qualities,  lying 


SALT   SPRINGS.  181 

in  beds  or  strata,  from  two  inches  to  several  feet  in 
thickness.  These  strata  are  nearly  horizontal,  but 
dipping  a  little,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  towards 
the  northwest.  At  the  salt  works  they  have  somehow 
been  heaved  up  into  a  swell  above  the  line  of  general 
direction,  so  as  to  raise  the  deep  strata  nigher  to  the 
surface,  and  thus  to  bring  those  in  which  the  salt  water 
is  found  within  striking  distance. 

"  At  first  the  borings  did  not  exceed  two  hundred  feet 
in  depth,  but  the  upper  strata  of  water  being  exhausted, 
the  wells  were  gradually  deepened,  the  water  in  the 
lower  strata  being  generally  stronger  than  the  upper 
had  ever  been.  Until  the  last  year  (1842)  none  of  the 
wells  exceeded  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  in  depth.  Mr. 
Tompkins,  an  enterprising  salt-maker,  was  the  first  to 
extend  his  borings  to  a  thousand  feet  or  more.  His  ex- 
periment was  attended  with  a  most  unexpected  result. 
He  had  somewhat  exceeded  a  thousand  feet,  when  he 
struck  a  crevice  in  the  rock,  and  forth  gushed  a  powerful 
stream  of  mingled  gas  and  salt  water. 

"  When  Mr.  Tompkins  inserted  his  tube,  the  water 
gushed  out  so  forcibly,  that  instead  of  applying  the 
pump,  he  only  lengthened  his  tube  above  the  well.  The 
stream  followed  it  with  undiminished  velocity  to  his 
water-cistern,  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river. 
In  the  next  place,  he  inserted  the  end  of  the  spout  from 
which  the  water  and  gas  flowed,  into  a  large  hogshead, 
making  a  hole  in  the  bottom  to  let  out  the  water  into 
the  cistern.  Thus  the  light  gas  was  caught  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  hogshead,  and  thence  conducted  by  pipes  to 
the  furnace,  where  it  mingled  with  the  blaze  of  the  coal- 
fire.  It  so  increased  the  heat  as  to  make  very  little  coal 
necessary ;  and  if  the  furnace  were  adapted  to  the  econo- 
mical use  of  this  gaseous  fuel,  it  would  evaporate  all  the 
water  of  the  well,  though  the  water  is  sufficient  to  make 
five  hundred  bushels  of  salt  per  day. 

A  description  of  other  wells  in  the  vicinity,  which 
had  struck  gaseous  fountains,  is  further  given,  in 
one  of  which  the  flow  is  intermittent,  at  intervals  of 
two  or  three  hours.  At  another  it  was  found  impos- 

16 


182  "WEST    VIRGINIA. 

Bible  to  force  down  a  tube,  which  was  bent  by  the 
violence  of  its  action.  If  the  gas  was  struck  before 
the  heavy  brine  was  reached,  the  well  was  deemed 
worthless,  unless  the  pressure  of  the  gas  could  be 
"tubed  off."  Occasionally  a  well  was  bored  to  a 
similar  depth  without  striking  the  gas  —  the  theory 
of  the  writer  being,  that  "the  well  borer's  auger 
must  find  it  in  one  of  the  narrow  routes  of  its  upward 
passage,  or  penetrate  to  its  native  coal  bed,  before  it 
will  burst  forth  by  the  artificial  vent."  He  attri- 
buted the  gas  to  coal,  and  declared  it  "  the  same 
that  is  manufactured  out  of  coal  for  illuminating  our 
cities."  He  says  further : 

"It  is  a  mixture  of  carburetted  and  sulphuretted 
hydrogen.  Philosophers  tell  us  that  bituminous  coal 
becomes  anthracite  by  the  conversion  of  its  bitumen  and 
sulphur  into  this  gas,  and  that  water  acts  as  a  necessary 
part  of  this  process.  Whether  the  presence  of  salt  water 
causes  a  more  rapid  evolution  of  the  gas,  the  present 
writer  will  not  undertake  to  say;  but  somehow,  the 
quantity  generated  in  the  salt  region  of  the  Kanawha 
is  extraordinary. 

"  It  finds  in  this  region  innumerable  small  natural  vents. 
It  is  seen  in  many  place  bubbling  up  through  the  sand 
in  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  probably  brings  up  salt 
water  with  it,  as  in  the  gas  wells,  but  in  small  quantity. 
The  celebrated  Burning  Spring  is  the  only  one  of  its 
natural  vents  apparent  on  dry  land.  This  stream  of  gas, 
unaccompanied  with  water,  has  found  its  way  from  the 
rocks  below,  through  seventy  or  eighty  feet  of  alluvial 
ground,  and  within  eighty  yards  of  the  river  bank.  It 
is  near  this  Burning  Spring  where  the  principal  gas  wells 
have  been  found.  But,  twenty-five  years  ago,  or  more, 
a  gas  fountain  was  struck  in  a  well  two  hundred  feet 
deep,  near  Charleston,  seven  miles  below  the  burning 
spring.  This  blew  up,  by  fits,  a  jet  of  weak  salt  water, 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  high.  On  a  torch  being  applied 


OIL   WELLS.  183 

to  it  one  night,  brilliant  flames  played  and  flashed  about 
the  watery  volume  in  the  most  wonderful  manner." 

Oil  was  obtained  by  boring  in  1819,  upon  the 
Little  Muskingum,  in  sinking  a  salt  well.  It  was 
at  that  time  tested  as  an  illuminator,  and  the  sugges- 
tion of  its  utility  in  lighting  cities  made  public  in 
the  newspapers.  In  1845,  oil  was  struck  in  a  similar 
manner  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1854,  a  company  was 
organized  for  boring  upon  Oil  Creek,  but  no  ener- 
getic effort  was  put  forth  until  1858.  In  Canada  it 
was  first  obtained  in  1857. 

As  early  as  1825  oil  was  procured  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, after  the  manner  of  operations  near  the 
Caspian  Sea,  by  digging  sand-pits  to  the  depth  of  a 
dozen  feet  or  more.  It  was  thus  procured  on 
Hughes'  River,  about  a  mile  below  the  junction  of 
the  north  and  south  forks,  on  the  north  side.  Oppo- 
site, on  the  south  side,  some  twenty  years  ago,  wells 
were  bored,  from  which  petroleum  flowed  in  small 
quantities  for  years.  In  fact  one  of  them  is  yet 
flowing  daily  a  small  quantity  of  valuable  oil.  This 
Hughes'  liiver  oil  was  used  mainly  as  a  liniment  for 
burns,  cuts,  and  bruises,  for  man  and  beast,  and  was 
especially  valued  for  horses.  A  very  small  quantity 
was  obtained  'in  these  sand  diggings  —  simply  by 
pouring  in  water,  stirring  the  sand  with  hoes,  and 
allowing  the  oil  to  accumulate  on  the  surface  — 
until  1850  to  1857,  when  the  yearly  product  reached 
nearly  seventy-five  barrels. 

In  1842,  while  boring  for  salt,  oil  was  discovered 
near  Burning  Spring,  on  the  Little  Kanawha, 
twenty-seven  miles  from  Parkersburg.  The  Rath- 
bone  Farm,  on  which  the  well  was  sunk,  has  since 


184:  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

become  famous  for  the  production  of  oil.  Boring 
specifically  for  oil  was  first  attempted  in  this  vicinity 
in  the  fall  of  1859,  after  the  first  successes  in  oil  in 
Pennsylvania  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
world;  although  Dr.  Hildreth,  of  Ohio,  as  early  as 
1836,  alluded  to  the  abundance  of  petroleum  on  the 
Little  Kanawha. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

HOW   ORIGINATED. — POPULAR  AND  UNPOPULAR   THEORIES. 

THE  origin  of  petroleum  has  elicited  the  attention 
of  the  scientific  and  the  unlettered  alike,  and  if 
both  have  not  been  at  times  equally  visionary  and 
absurd,  each  has  been  equally  at  variance  with  other 
individuals  of  his  own  class.  There  are  doubtless 
fewer  opinions  than  persons  in  the  debate;  and  as 
data  for  comparison  shall  be  accumulated  and  the 
truth  systematized  and  made  clear,  the  scientific,  the 
professors  of  geology,  will  have  the  advantage  of  the 
well  borer;  but  at  present  the  professors  appear  to 
be  almost  as  much  in  the  mud  as  the  delvers  are  in 
the  mire.  An  examination  of  the  prominent  theories 
of  the  production  of  petroleum,  will  be  found  inter- 
esting and  suggestive ;  and  if  the  reader  is  of  a 
speculative  turn,  he  may  amuse  or  improve  himself 
by  constructing  others,  equally  plausible  if  not 
equally  sound.  The  difficulty  is,  though  petroleum 
is  not  new,  its  geology  is,  as  well  as  its  chemistry ; 
and  its  originating  cause  is  by  no  means  indicated 
by  the  harmonious  agreement  of  a  scientific  conven- 
tion. Rapid  progress  has  been  made  in  acquiring 
facts,  which  may  at  an  early  day  reveal  the  truths 
which  shall  be  crystalized  into  science. 
Professor  E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Marietta  College,  in 

16*  (185) 


186  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

the  centre  of  the  great  oil  basin,  after  years  of  ex- 
amination of  the  philosophy  of  oil  generation, 
assumes  it  to  be  a  product  of  the  distillation  of  bitu- 
men at  low  temperatures,  in  opposition  to  the  old 
theory  that  oil  -was  produced  at  the  original  bitu- 
menization  of  animal  or  vegetable  matter.  Oil  is 
not  found  with  bituminous  coal,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected in  view  of  the  latter  theory,  but  in  fissures  of 
the  rocks  underlying  bituminous  strata,  which  have 
been  opened  since  the  coal  strata  was  bitumenized. 

The  theory  has  been  maintained  by  some  geolo- 
gists, that  petroleum  is  the  result  of  pressure  upon 
coal,  as  oil  is  expressed  from  the  olive.  It  supposes 
a  vegetable  origin  for  coal,  a  submerged  condition, 
and  a  destructive  distillation,  but  not  so  high  a  tem- 
perature as  to  cake  the  coal,  evolving  hydrocarbons. 
On  this  theory,  greater  pressure  and  higher  heat 
resulted  in  the  production  of  anthracite  coal,  the 
hydrocarbons  becoming  volatilized,  and  ages  since 
disappearing  from  the  surface,  washed  away  by  the 
floods  of  time,  and  floating  off  on  the  bosom  of  the 
primeval  ocean. 

Professor  Eli  Bowen,  of  Pennsylvania,  holds  a 
different  opinion.  During  the  early  Devonian  era, 
in  his  view,  the  entire  Alleghanian  system  was  sub- 
merged; it  consisted  of  connecting  basins,  similar 
to  those  of  our  existing  northwestern  lakes,  with 
adjacent  prairies  producing  the  rankest  of  vege- 
tation, and  resembling  in  character  the  St.  Clair 
flats.  At  a  sufficiently  early  date,  before  the  reces- 
sion of  the  open  sea  in  what  is  now  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  these  basins,  at  least  the  lowest  of  them, 
were  salt  or  brackish,  as  is  evidenced  by  marine  as 


ORIGIN    OF    PETROLEUM.  187 

well  as  fresh  water  fossils  existing  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  resinous  secretions 
of  coal  plants — largely  comprising  various  species 
of  coniferous  trees,  growing  with  astonishing  luxuri- 
ance in  the  moist,  misty  atmosphere  of  that  era  — 
were  strewn  upon  the  earth,  drained  into  these  lakes, 
forming  a  tarry  crust  upon  the  surface,  which  was 
suddenly  submerged  beneath  an  inundation  of  sedi- 
mentary matter,  burying  the  vegetable  oils  beneath 
the  rubbish  of  the  forests  and  the  sand  and  mud 
which  they  held  in  suspension.  "When  the  waters 
drained  off,  another  crop  of  vegetation  furnished 
supplies  for  another  stratum  of  liquid  bitumen,  which 
was  again  submerged  by  the  rush  of  waters  bursting 
accumulated  barriers,  and  other  strata  of  sand  and 
mud  deposited,  forming  another  mass  of  sandstone, 
or  the  shales  that  overlie  it.  Over  all  was  finally 
deposited  a  seam  of  clay,  which  effectually  imprisoned 
the  oil,  except  along  the  margins  or  in  the  crevice 
of  a  seam. 

The  veins  producing  coal  were  made  in  the  same 
way,  but  at  a  period  when  there  was  not  so  much 
evaporation,  because  the  atmosphere  was  not  then 
adapted  to  its  absorption ;  but  there  was  ample  time 
to  allow  the '  mass  to  solidify.  The  oil  was  im- 
prisoned suddenly ;  the  veins  of  coal  were  accumu- 
lated slowly,  from  more  resinous  material,  not  so 
rich  in  liquid  oils. 

Such  is  the  theory  of  Mr.  Bowen,  very  briefly  but 
fairly  stated,  very  nearly  in  his  own  words.  He 
says  further,  of  the  more  southern  slopes :  "  On  the 
Kanawha,  in  Virginia ;  on  the  Big  Sandy,  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  generally  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Mon- 


188  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

• 

ongahela,  we  find  richer  and  more  fatty  oils  than  we 
find  on  the  Alleghany,  the  Clarion,  or  on  Oil  Creek. 
And  why  is  this  ?  Because  the  coals  themselves  are 
richer  in  oils,  and  because  a  species  of  vegetation 
flourished  in  those  points  which  secreted  more  oils 
than  those  of  Pennsylvania." 

Professor  Erni,  Chemist  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  author  of  a  new  work  upon  the  sub- 
ject,* says : 

"Petroleum  is  doubtless  a  product  of  chemical  decom- 
position, derived  from  organic  remains,  plants,  and 
animals,  whole  generations  of  which  perished  and  accu- 
mulated during  many  destructive  revolutions  at  the 
various  ages  or  epochs  of  our  planet.  As  to  the  manner 
in  which  these  oily  hydrocarbons  were  originally  pro- 
duced, scientific  men  are  still  divided  in  opinion.  Some 
believe  that  they  resulted,  like  the  artificial  oils  we 
dwelt  upon,  from  a  dry  distillation — i.e.,  the  effects  upon 
vegetable  tissue  of  heat,  such  as  hot  gases  or  steam 
generated  by  volcanic  action,  untold  ages  before  our 
solid  earth  had  acquired  its  present  thickness  and  sta- 
bility of  surface." 

After  canvassing  at  length  the  prominent  theories 
of  oil  production,  he  is  inclined  to  believe  that  the 
oils  of  Canada,  and  perhaps  of  Michigan  and  Ken- 
tucky, found  in  sub-carboniferous  strata,  or  the 
Devonian  rocks,  are  of  animal  origin,  from  animals 
of  a  low  order,  such  as  crinoids,  brachiopods,  and 
trilobites,  successive  generations  of  which  must  have 
been  buried  in  the  waters  and  covered  with  earthy 

*"Coal  Oil  and  Petroleum;  their  Origin,  History,  Geology,  and 
Chemistry,  with  a  view  of  their  importance  in  their  bearing  upon 
national  industry.  By  HENRY  ERNI,  A.M.,  M.D.,  Chief  Chemist. 
Department  of  Agriculture."  Published  by  Henry  Carey  Baird,  406 
Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia. 


ORIGIN   OP   PETEOLEUM.  189 

and  mineral  deposits,  when,  removed  from  atmo- 
spheric action,  as  in  a  closed  retort,  the  carbon  and 
hydrogen,  existing  greatly  in  excess  of  oxygen, 
would  enter  into  such  combinations  as  are  found  in 
petroleum  and  the  various  hydrocarbon  gases. 

Of  that  produced  from  the  vegetables  of  the  car- 
boniferous period,  he  shows,  from  its  chemical 
qualities,  that  it  must  have  been  produced  by  a  pro- 
cess analogous  to  the  dry  distillation  of  peat  —  that 
it  is  composed  mainly  of  volatile  hydrocarbon  oils, 
yielding,  with  nitric  acid,  less  of  nitro-bensole,  and 
of  analine  dyes,  than  that  obtained  from  coal  oils. 
The  bitumen  found  with  schists  and  shales  he  con- 
siders the  result  rather  than  the  cause  of  petroleum 
—  petroleum  hardened  by  the  exposure  and  loss  of 
its  more  volatile  elements. 

A  writer  in  Harper's  Magazine  propounds  this 
theory :  In  the  Chemung  period  of  the  Devonian 
age,  an  internal  sea  covered  the  central  portion  of 
the  continent,  its  shores  making  the  present  eastern 
limit  of  the  petroleum  region.  It  was  a  shallow  sea, 
as  proven  by  the  absence  of  limestone,  with  mud 
flats  like  those  of  New  Jersey,  and  sandy  barriers 
intervening,  which  have  become  the  alternating 
shale  and  sandstone.  A  tropical  heat  stimulated 
vegetation,  and  an  atmosphere  surcharged  with 
carbonic  acid  gas,  fed  the  rank  growth  of  salt  marsh 
vegetation.  These  marshes,  throwing  up  gigantic 
and  fragile  weeds,  may  have  been  subject  to  gradual 
subsidence,  thus  accumulating  masses  of  undecayed 
vegetation  beneath  the  surface.  Then  a  sudden  and 
heavier  subsidence  submerges  all  beneath  the  in- 
flowing sand  of  the  broken  barriers,  and  the  internal 


190  WEST     VIRGINIA. 

heat,  which  cannot  consume,  distils  these  watery 
weeds,  separating  the  carbon  and  hydrogen,  which 
enter  new  combinations,  and  form  the  oily  hydro- 
carbons which  we  call  petroleum.  The  salt  water, 
of  course,  settles  beneath  the  oil,  which  floats  upon 
it,  and  its  more  volatile  elements,  through  fissures 
in  the  rocks  created  by  subsidences  or  uprisings, 
tend  towards  the  surface  in  the  form  of  gas. 

Some  believe  that  oil  is  a  product  of  distillation 
perpetually  in  progress  in  the  recesses  of  the  earth, 
the  result  of  internal  heat;  and  that  the  withdrawal 
of  oil  only  stimulates  the  process  of  condensation. 
Yet  they  confess  utter  ignorance  of  the  material 
from  which  the  carburetted  gases  are  produced, 
which  ascend  from  the  hot  depths  below  to  the  cold 
surface  rocks,  to  be  condensed  and  left  to  fill  the 
interior  basins  of  salt  water. 

There  are  those  who  adhere  to  this  or  a  similar 
theory,  who  believe  that  the  oil  rock  is  limestone, 
and  the  oil  a  product  of  the  carbonic  acid  evolved  in 
burning. 

Still  other  theories  are  afloat.  One  of  them 
assumes  that  petroleum  is  produced  by  certain 
chemical  combinations  of  salt  and  lime ;  and  in  sup- 
port of  it  the  fact  is  asserted  that  oil  is  found  in 
localities  where  coal  does  not  exist,  while  salt  and 
gas  are  always  present.  It  is  a  prevalent  belief  with 
many,  that  it  is  not  a  product  of  vegetable  growth 
or  animal  decay,  but  a  result  of  chemical  processes 
in  the  great  laboratory  of  the  earth,  wrought  through 
the  agency  of  internal  fires ;  and  that  necessarily  it 
will  be  permanent  in  supply  —  the  surface  cavities, 
in  which  the  rising  gases  were  caught  and  condensed, 


ORIGIN    OF   PETROLEUM.  191 

being  again  filled  by  escaping  gases  which  had  been 
repressed  by  the  accumulation  of  oil  and  water. 
Upon  this  assumption  the  exhaustion  of  the  oil  in 
crevices,  by  pumping,  only  clears  the  passages  lead- 
ing thither,  and  stimulates  a  more  rapid  deposit  of 
oil. 

Believers  in  the  vegetable  theory  account  for  the 
occurrence  of  oil  remote  from  coal,  by  suggesting 
that,  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  gravity,  it  seeks  the 
lowest  level,  and  finds  at  a  distance  away  the  geolo- 
gical formations  with  suitable  cavities  or  crevices  for 
containing  it.  It  may  subsequently  be  forced  up- 
wards, under  the  pressure  of  water  from  beneath,  or 
of  the  accumulating  gas  above  it,  towards  the  sur- 
face ;  and  if  an  open  fissure  exists,  an  oil  or  gas 
spring  is  the  result. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

WHERE   FOUND.  —  HOW   TO   FIND   IT. 

EOLO GISTS  are  agreed  that  there  is  no  specific 
oil-bearing  rock,  reliable,  wherever  found,  for 
oleaginous  treasures.  Oil  is  found  in  sandstone,  in 
shales,  in  serpentine,  and  in  the  loose  sand  of  the 
surface.  In  "West  Virginia  it  occurs  in  the  coal 
measures  overlying  the  Devonian  deposits;  in  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  upper  sandstones  of  the  Devonian 
series ;  in  Canada,  still  lower,  in  the  Hamilton  shales 
which  overlie  the  corniferous  limestone,  and  also  in 
limestone. 

The  talk  concerning  oil  belts  is  very  loose  and 
vague,  and  calculated  to  mislead.  It  has  been  fash- 
ionable to  connect,  by  a  continuous  and  very  direct 
line,  the  oil  region  of  Pennsylvania  with  that  of 
"West  Virginia.  These  lines,  if  continued,  would 
diverge  at  many  an  angle  and  embrace  a  wide  area 
—  at  least  twenty  counties  in  "West  Virginia,  and 
half  as  many  in  Ohio.  And  there  would  be  some 
controversy  about  a  starting  point ;  for  if  Oil  Creek, 
in  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  should  be  re- 
garded as  the  oil  centre  of  that  region,  the  develop- 
ments in  several  counties,  east  and  west  of  that 
valley,  would  prove,  not  the  existence  of  a  narrow 
belt,  but  a  broad  area  of  oil. 

In  his  survey  of  the  coal  region  of  "West  Virginia, 

(192) 


ANTICLINAL   AXES.  193 

Professor  "William  B.  Eogers,  the.  geologist  of  Vir- 
ginia, gives  the  following  description  of  the  existing 
disturbances,  to  some  extent  continuous  and  parallel, 
which  give  color  to  the  popular  notion  of  "  belts :" 

"These  anticlinal  axes*  met  with  in  our  great  wes- 
tern coal  region,  preserving  a  parallel  direction  with 
those  of  the  Appalachian  belt,  give  rise  to  ranges  of 
mountains  less  elevated  above  the  general  level  of  the 
surrounding  region,  and  broader  and  less  abrupt  in  their 
declivity  than  the  ridges  formed  of  the  more  steeply 
inclined  strata  of  the  Appalachian  portion  of  the  State. 
Yet,  as  might  naturally  be  anticipated,  along  the  summit 
of  these  broad  mountains,  the  mantle  of  rocks  pertaining 
to  the  coal  formation,  once  evidently  continuous  in  its 
extension  over  the  inferior  strata,  has  been  more  or  less 
removed;  and  thus  over  their  undulating  tops  and  in 
their  profound  ravines  and  river  gorges,  the  upper 
groups  of  strata  belonging  to  the  Appalachian  series  are 
not  unfrequently  deeply  and  extensively  exposed.  The 
destructive  rush  of  waters,  whose  denuding  power  is  so 
clearly  attested  by  the  removed  summits  and  gashed 
sides  of  so  many  of  these  broad  ridges  would  seem,  after 
tearing  the  stouter  material  above,  to  have  met  with 
far  less  resistance  from  the  soft  shales  and  sandstones, 
forming  the  interior  mass.  Hence  would  appear  to 
have  originated  the  deep  valleys  and  abrupt  hills  by 
which  the  space  included  between  the  flanks  of  these 
ridges  is  so  generally  characterized,  and  hence  the 
deeply  scooped  channels  of  those  streams,  which  are 
permitted,  not  merely  to  pass  through,  but  to  meander 
for  great  distances  along  the  central  line  of  the  axis  and 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  mountain,  whose  interior 
structure  they  thus  contribute  to  disclose." 

He  shows  that  throughout  the  more  western  por- 


*  An   imaginary  line  towards  which  opposite  inclined  strata  rise, 
as  the  sides  of  a  roof  rise  towards  the  ridge.     A  roof  inverted  would 
represent  a  synclinal  axis. 
17 


194  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

tion  of  the  coal-bearing  strata,  the  uppermost  of  the 
Appalachian  rocks  are  neither  to  be  met  with  upon 
the  surface  or  in  the  deepest  natural  or  artificial  ex- 
posures that  exist;  and  that  even  the  rocks  of  the 
principal  coal  measures  become  buried,  approaching 
the  Ohio  in  the  region  of  Parkersburg  and  Point 
Pleasant,  giving  place  to  slates  and  shales,  and  sand- 
stones, either  destitute  of  coal  or  containing  it  in 
thin  and  variable  seams.  Across  the  river,  in  Ohio, 
these  strata,  thus  depressed,  gradually  rise  again, 
bringing  in  view,  in  reverse  order,  the  coal,  sand- 
stones, slates,  shales,  iron  ores,  and  limestones. 
Thus  is  formed  a  vast  synclinal  basin,  its  northern 
rim  or  edge  crossing  the  Ohio  above  Marietta,  the 
Ohio  River  flowing  through  it  centrally,  or  a  little 
west  of  the  centre,  and  passing  through  its  western 
rim  near  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  River.  The  axis 
of  this  trough,  a  line  nearly  parallel  with  the  moun- 
tain range,  being  a  few  miles  east  of  Parkersburg, 
little  coal  is  found  near  the  surface  until,  the  river 
bending  west,  good  coal  seams  appear  at  Pomeroy, 
and  on  the  opposite  shore,  in  Mason  County. 

East  of  this  synclinal  basin,  and  parallel  with  its 
axis,  is  the  anticlinal  axis,  so  frequently  referred  to, 
and  so  prominently  marked  at  several  points,  which 
has  been  traced  across  the  Ohio  River,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Newport,  a  few  miles  east  of  Marietta,  in  Washing- 
ton County,  Ohio.  It  crosses  the  small  streams, 
French  Creek,  Cow  Creek,  Calf  Creek,  and  Horse- 
neck  Fork  of  Bull  Creek,  which  flow  into  the  Ohio 
in  a  direction  slightly  north  of  west;  then  crosses 
Goose  Creek,  at  Petroleum,  on  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad ;  Hughes  River,  a  little  west  of  the 


THE    "OIL    BELT."  195 

junction  of  North  and  South  Forks;  cuts  the  valley 
of  Burning  Spring  Run,  and  passes  across  the  Little 
Kanawha,  on  towards  Charleston,  in  Kanawba 
County.  The  direction  of  this  line  is  very  nearly 
south.  This  may  properly  be  considered  an  oil  belt, 
but  it  is  not  the  only  belt  in  which  oil  exists  in  West 
f  Virginia.  And  "wEile" these  disturbances,  whether 
caused  by  upheavals  or  the  subsidence  of  the  declin- 
ing strata  on  either  side,  necessarily  leave  cavities 
and  fissures  capable  of  holding  oil,  and  lead  the  oil 
hunter  naturally  to  expect  a  rich  harvest,  it  must  not 
be  assumed  too  hastily  that  these  "belts"  are  always 
parallel,  or  sure  to  yield  abundant  oil,  or  that  the 
area  between  them  is  utterly  destitute  of  paying 
deposits.  "Where  the  strata  is  most  broken,  and 
fissures  have  been  produced  in  many  directions  by  [; 
their  mechanical  fracture,  more  oil  may  reasonably 
be  expected  than  where  the  rocks  lie  horizontal  and 
unbroken. 

It  is  assumed  by  some  geologists  that  these  anti- 
clinal and  synclinal  waves  were  rolled  up  through 
the  influence  of  subterranean  forces,  which  moved 
the  earth's  crust  in  the  long  ages  past,  and  caused 
the  uplift  of  the  Cumberland  range;  that  the  strata, 
thus  folded  over,  was  necessarily  much  broken,  the 
amount  and  character  of  the  fracture  depending  upon 
the  physical  condition  of  the  several  beds  suffering 
the  disturbance ;  that  if  the  fissures  of  the  anticlinals 
reach  the  oil-bearing  rocks,  they  will  permit  the  gas 
and  oil  generated  below  to  escape  at  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  and  the  surface  water  to  flow  in  and  wash 
out  and  waste  the  oil;  while  the  synclinals,  if  their 
fractures  are  deep  enough  to  break  the  oil  stratum, 


196  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

will  receive  and  store  up  the  product  of  such  rocks, 
and  will,  moreover,  by  the  divergence  of  the  frac- 
tures, embrace  deep  in  the  earth  a  larger  territory 
than  that  covered  by  the  synclinal  at  the  surface. 
On  this  theory,  the  centre  of  the  synclinal  basin, 
could  it  be  struck,  might  yield  unprecedented  quan- 
tities of  oil ;  yet  the  great  cost  of  wells  of  sufficient 
depth,  and  the  doubtful  "if"  relative  to  the  depth 
of  the  fractures,  are  two  potent  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  immediate  successful  development.  There  is, 
doubtless,  abundance  of  oil  in  the  synclinals,  where- 
ever  fractures  exist  in  connection  with  the  operation 
of  causes  producing  oil ;  and  the  future  enterprise 
of  practical  oil  operators  will  undoubtedly  be  equal 
to  the  task  of  finding  it. 

It  is  upon  the  anticlinals,  where  the  oil  strata  is 
\  upheaved,  and  near  the  surface,  that  fissures  opening 
<fto  the  air  are  found;  and  here  also  are  seen  gas 
springs  and  oil  springs.  Such  indications  of  the 
proximity  of  oil  to  the  surface,  are  proofs  that  the 
deposits  are  undergoing  depletion.  There  are  many 
localities  in  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  and  other 
States,  where  oil  is  found  upon  the  surface,  saturating 
shales  in  the  beds  of  streams,  or  filling  the  interstices 
of  the  sand  near  the  surface,  in  which  wells  have  not 
been  productive  except  at  a  very  shallow  depth. 
Oil  has  been  obtained  in  small  quantities  at  the 
depth  of  a  few  feet,  when,  upon  going  deeper,  no 
sign  of  it  has  again  appeared,  and  the  well  has 
proven  a  failure.  Surface  wells  are  not  expected  to 
produce  largely,  yet  comparatively  shallow  wells 
have  touched  large  basins  of  oil,  as  the  Burning 

*— '  f  O 

Springs  in  Wirt  County,  and  the  Horseneck  Wells, 


SHALLOW   WELLS.  197 

especially  the  Gilfillan,  some  of  which  flowed  hun- 
dreds and  even  thousands  of  barrels  daily,  it  was 
claimed,  for  a  short  time,  the  flow  gradually  decreas- 
ing. Not  only  in  notable  instances  were  some  of 
these  wells  sold  at  large  figures,  in  the  excitement 
attending  their  first  flow,  but  their  purchasers  also 
made  large  profits  upon  their  investment.  Probably 
a  clear  profit  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  last  year 
made  upon  the  shallow  wells  on  the  Oil  Run  of 
Goose  Creek,  in  Ritchie  County — more  than  during 
any  previous  year  since  the  commencement  of  the 
enterprise.  Some  of  those  wells  have  been  worked 
longer  than  many  of  the  deep  wells  of  Pennsylvania ; 
and  some  of  them,  after  apparent  exhaustion,  and  a 
few  months'  rest,  have  again  been  profitably  pumped. 
One  was  pumped  at  twenty-six  feet,  and  few  are 
more  than  two  hundred.  So  the  statement  that 
shallow  wells  are  not  enduring  or  profitable,  should 
be  received  with  some  caution,  and  many  exceptions 
acknowledged. 

In  the  synclinal  basin  east  of  this  "oil  belt,"  is 
located  the  world-renowned  asphaltum  lode  of  Ritchie 
County,  for  facilities  of  communication  with  which 
a  railroad  is  in  process  of  construction  to  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  road  at  Cairo  station.  A  perpen- 
dicular fissure,  three  and  a  half  feet  thick,  has  been 
filled  with  petroleum  from  some  great  basin  below, 
its  volatile  elements  subsequently  evaporated,  and 
the  residuum  left,  very  closely  resembling  coal  to  the 
superficial  eye,  and  yielding  from  one  hundred  and 
forty  to  one  hundred  and  seventy  gallons  per  ton  of 
heavy  oil.  The  quantity  of  petroleum  required  to 
produce  this  deposit  is  almost  incredible,  and  has 
17* 


198  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

lead  to  the  belief  that  practically  inexhaustible  basins 
of  oil  exist  in  this  synclinal.  There  are  others  who 
have  no  faith  in  the  existence  of  liquid  oil  in  locali- 
ties where  asphaltum  is  found.  Well  boring  is  rife 
in  this  region,  and  oil  has  already  been  found.  The 
immediate  future  will  test  the  value  of  this  locality 
as  petroleum  land.  Professor  Lesley  says,  in  describ- 
ing it,  that  "the  country  of  the  neighborhood  is 
that  of  the  central  part  of  the  great  synclinal,  which 
crosses  the  Ohio  below  Pittsburg,  and  stretches 
down  through  Western  Virginia  parallel  to  the  Ohio 
River,  into  Eastern  Kentucky." 

The  surface  throughout  the  oil  region  is  singularly 
marked  with  a  succession  of  sharp  hills  and  valleys, 
the  elevations  rising  from  three  to  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  valley  level,  their  declivitous  aspect  in 
many  places  relieved  by  narrow  plateaus,  or 
"benches."  These  valleys  were  produced  by  drain- 
age, when  the  surface  formation  was  comparatively 
soft;  and  they  are  generally  very  narrow,  though 
variable  in  width,  and  running  in  every  direction, 
with  smaller  valleys,  or  furrowed  depressions  of  the 
hills,  entering  the  principal  ones  at  right  angles. 
The  whole  surface  is  a  net  work  of  valleys  of  erosion, 
varying  in  length,  depth,  and  direction.  The  tyro 
in  oil  matters  is  apt  to  think  every  abrupt  hill  an 
evidence  of  upheaval,  but  soon  learns  that  perfectly 
horizontal  strata  of  rocks  may  be  furrowed  deeply 
as  those  which  are  depressed,  upheaved,  or  fractured 
by  convulsion.  This  fashioning  of  the  valleys,  ages 
subsequent  to  the  breaking  of  the  uplift  and  forma- 
tion of  the  fissures  beneath,  affords  a  suggestive 
indication  of  the  great  antiquity  of  oil  production. 


THE   SAND-EOCKS.  199 

It  is  common  to  hear  the  remark  relative  to  oil 
wells  in  "West  Virginia,  that  oil  is  obtained  from  the 
first  or  second  sand-rock,  and  that  great  results  are 
expected  on  reaching  the  third.  Reference  is  had 
to  three  separate  sandstone  formations  of  the  Devon- 
ian rocks,  which  occur  so  regularly  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  which  the  oil  is  found.  There  is  no  similarity 
in  the  oil-bearing  rocks  of  the  two  localities.  Those 
of  West  Virginia  belong  to  the  carboniferous  series. 
If  the  wells  should  be  continued  a  thousand  feet 
further,  the  same  Devonian  strata  might  be  struck. 
In  "West  Virginia  the  strata  pierced  are  sandstone, 
soapstone,  and  shales,  variable  in  thickness  and 
irregular  in  occurrence. 

The  following  theory  is  presented  by  Charles  S. 
Richardson,  a  mineral  surveyor  and  mining  engineer 
of  much  experience : 

"A  general  impression  prevails,  that  this  deranged 
state  of  the  formation  arises  from  the  sudden  and  violent 
plutonic  convulsions,  tearing  asunder  the  strata  and 
causing  upheavals.  In  some  instances,  especially  in  vol- 
canic countries,  such  is  the  case ;  but  the  upheavals  of 
Virginia,  although  numerous,  have  not  been  thrown  up 
so  suddenly  as  many  persons  suppose.  A  close  examin- 
ation of  the  uptilted  rocks  and  a  little  calm  reasoning, 
will  soon  convince  the  diligent  inquirer  that  the  up- 
heaval of  the  strata  must  be  gradual;  that  they  are  now 
moving  up,  and  have  never  ceased  to  move ;  that  others 
are  sinking,  settling  down,  gradually  subsiding,  leaving 
great  vacancies  between  their  several  components,  and 
forming  receptacles  for  any  foreign  matter  that  may 
chance  to  fall  into  them.  Upheavals  present  various 
forms :  they 'are  sometimes  curvilineal,  in  other  places 
angular  —  that  is  to  say,  the  planes  of  the  strata  present 
right  lines  to  the  apex ;  they  are  readily  recognized  by 
their  causing  the  strata  to  form  an  anticlinal  axis ;  in 
this  operation  the  horizontal  line  becomes  shortened,  the 


200  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

rock  not  being  elastic,  breaks,  and  the  result  is  a  fissure 
whose  width  corresponds  with  the  contracted  lines  ; 
these  fissures  become  refilled  with  sand  and  clay  and 
fragments  of  the  severed  rocks ;  the  matrix  being  porous 
affords  excellent  repositories  for  oil,  gas,  or  aqueous 
minerals  by  infiltration  ;  they  are  called  '  Faults/  and  in 
West  Virginia  are  found  to  be  oil-producing.  In  the 
case  of  Burning  Spring  Hun,  I  hold  an  adverse  opinion 
to  that  of  many  others  of  my  profession  :  that,  instead 
of  the  derangement  being  caused  by  an  upheaval,  it  is 
by  a  '  down-throw/  and  forms  an  abrupt  depression ; 
for  the  shale  bed  seen  along  the  valley,  several  feet  up 
in  the  rocks,  is  here,  in  places,  found  considerably  below 
the  surface.  Several  of  the  borings  that  I  examined 
give  evidence  of  having  passed  through  a  friable  strata 
very  much  resembling  the  shale  beds  seen  above.  The 
comminuted  particles,  as  taken  from  the  sand-pump, 
appear  identical;  and  it  is  in  the  numerous  fissures  of 
the  sandstone  rock  lying  below  the  shale,  that  the  oil  is 
first  found.  In  this  valley  it  occurs  at  a  depth  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  I  entertain  the  opinion  that 
the  oil,  all  along  the  little  Kanawha,  above  Elizabeth, 
lies  shallow,  and  that  deep  borings,  as  far  as  oil.  is  con- 
cerned, will  prove  abortive.  I  may  be  wrong,  but  I 
think  that  immediately  on  the  well  intersecting  the 
saliferous  strata,  there  is  very  little  hope  of  the  discovery 
of  any  oil  below  it.  This  is  not  a  theoretical  view  of 
the  matter.  I  adduce  the  facts  from  practical  results. 
We  have  wells  in  this  State  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep,  but 
I  never  have  heard  any  of  the  operators  say  that  they 
ever  found  oil  below  the  middle  brine  spring." 

Professor  E.  B.  Andrews,  of  Marietta  College, 
thus  writes  of  the  value  of  gas  springs  as  an  indica- 
tion of  oil : 

"  The  value  of  gas  springs  is,  in  my  opinion,  less  than 
that  of  oil  springs.  There  may  be  large  quantities  of 
gas  evolved  in  regions  where  there  is  little,  if  any,  oil. 
In  a  gas  works  a  rich  cannel  coal  will  make  a  large 
quantity  of  illuminating  gas,  but  no  oil,  except  a  very 


GAS   SPRINGS.  201 

little  coal-tar;  while  in  a  coal-oil  works,  the  same  coal 
will  yield  a  large  quantity  of  crude  oil.  The  difference 
in  result  is  due  to  difference  in  temperature.  So  in  the 
earth,  the  process  of  subterranean  distillation  may  take 
place  under  circumstances  so  entirely  different,  that  in 
one  case  gas  alone  is  produced,  and  in  the  other,  both 
gas  and  oil.  But  I  doubt  whether  the  gas  showing 
itself  in  gas  springs  in  Western  Yirginia,  could  have 
been  generated  without  the  condensation  from  it  in  the 
fissures  below,  of  more  or  less  oil.  It  is  doubtless  true 
sometimes,  that  the  gas  comes  from  the  vaporization  of 
oil  already  formed.  I  have  no  doubt  that  all  the  gas 
springs  in  West  Virginia,  prove  conclusively  the  exis- 
tence of  oil.  but,  as  in  the  case  of  oil  springs,  they  do  not 
indicate  the  quantity  of  oil.  Wells  alone  can  determine 
this.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  significance  and 
value  of  oil  and  gas  springs  are  not  to  be  limited  to  the 
field  or  farm  on  which  they  are  found;  they  may  pi'ove 
that  the  whole  region  for  many  miles  around,  is  an  oil 
region.  Experiments  have  often  shown  that  the  best 
wells  are  found  many  milles  distant  from  the  original 
surface  indications  which  first  called  attention  to  that 
neighborhood." 

Professor  E.  ~W.  Evans,  of  Marietta  College,  ex- 
presses Ms  opinion  as  follows : 

"  Of  surface  signs,  that  which  forms  the  most  reliable 
evidence  that  the  source  of  supply  is  deep,  is  a  scum  of 
thin  volatile  oil  appearing  on  mineral  springs.  For  ex- 
ample :  between  the  two  Kanawhas,  along  the  line  con- 
necting the  two  burning  springs,  there  are  numerous 
oil  and  gas  springs  in  which  the  analysis  of  the  water 
always  reveals  various  minerals,  such  as  common  salt, 
carbonates  of  iron  and  soda,  muriate  of  lime,  sulphates 
of  soda  and  potash,  and  sometimes  sulphurated  hydro- 
gen. On  the  common  springs  of  pure  water,  whose 
source  is  near  the  surface,  oil  is  not  seen  in  this  region. 
It  comes  up  through  slight  cracks  and  fissures  in  the 
strata,  from  depths  where  the  water  has  gathered  its 
various  mineral  contents.  The  high  temperature  of 
these  oil  springs,  as  compared  with  the  springs  of  pure 


202  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

water,   is   another  fact   indicating   their    deep   source. 
These  signs  characterize  the  best  oil  regions  generally." 

Professor  C.  "W.  "Wright  lias  less  faith  in  "oil 
indications :" 

"  The  indications  of  the  presence  of  oil  in  any  particu- 
lar locality  are  frequently  deceptive.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Niagara  it  has  been  found  in  drops  in  fossil  coral,  and 
inclosed  in  rock  crystal;  yet  no  one  having  the  proper 
knowledge  on  the  subject  would  expect  to  find  it  in  that 
locality  in  sufficient  amount  to  make  it  an  object  of 
commerce.  The  same  remarks  will  apply  to  the  presence 
of  oil  on  the  surface  of  the  water  of  springs,  wells,  etc., 
although  of  much  importance  in  connection  with  other 
indications.  Nor  is  the  presence  of  inflammable  gas  in 
springs  and  wells  of  itself  a  certain  indication  of  the 
presence  of  oil  in  the  rocks  from  which  it  has  its  origin. 
The  presence  of  a  good  quality  of  bituminous  coal  is  still 
less  so.  In  fact,  no  single  indication  can  be  relied  upon 
as  an  evidence  of  the  presence  of  petroleum. 

"An  intimate  acquaintance  with  all  the  facts  connected 
with  the  various  localities  in  which  oil  has  been  found. 
together  with  a  knowledge  of  the  geology  and  chemistry 
relating  to  the  subject,  are  absolutely  essential  before 
anything  like  a  correct  opinion  can  be  formed  as  to  the 
presence  or  absence  of  mineral  oil  in  an}-  particular 
formation.  A  familiarity  with  the  topography  of  one 
oil  region,  is  of  little  or  no  value  of  itself  in  enabling  a 
person  to  decide  as  to  the  presence  of  oil  in  a  locality 
remote  from,  the  one  in  which  special  experience  has 
been  acquired.  Some  localities  which  were  considered 
the  most  unpromising  after  a  superficial  examination, 
have  yielded  the  largest  quantities  of  oil." 

The  boring  of  wells,  and  a  history  of  their  subse- 
quent working,  if  accurately  and  intelligently  noted, 
afford  data  for  valuable  knowledge  of  the  peculiar 
structure  of  the  rocks,  the  character  of  the  fractures 
or  oil  reservoirs,  and  the  extent  and  permanence  of 
the  deposit.  In  the  light  of  recent  experience,  the 


PECULIAEITIES    OF    OIL    WELLS.  203 

fissures  are  generally  seen  to  be  more  or  less  vertical. 
Adjoining  wells  seldom  strike  oil  at  the  same  depth; 
wells  a  few  feet  apart  often  yield  different  quantities, 
as  well  as  different  qualities  and  specific  gravities  of 
oil ;  salt  water  may  exist  in  one,  and  its  neighbor 
may  yield  water  entirely  fresh.  These  facts  prove 
that  a  broad  horizontal  basin  is  not  struck  in  such 
cases.  One  well  may  emit  volumes  of  gas,  but  no 
oil ;  another  may  flow  with  oil  almost  pure ;  and  a 
third  may  yield  nothing  but  water  at  first,  and  after- 
wards produce  large  quantities  of  oil  by  perseverance 
with  the  pump.  All  of  these  conditions  may  exist 
separately,  in  several  wells  which  strike  the  same 
fissure  at  different  points  respectively.  The  lower 
portion,  to  a  certain  level,  contains  water ;  oil  covers 
the  water  to  a  certain  depth ;  and  gas  is  compressed,  no 
vent  existing,  between  the  rock  above  and  the  oil  and 
water  below.  If  a  well  strikes  the  upper  or  gas  level, 
it  will  yield  gas  only ;  if  it  pierces  the  oil,  the  pres- 
sure of  the  superincumbent  gas,  if  in  large  volume, 
will  force  the  oil  through  the  opening  to  the  surface; 
but  if  the  water  below  is  struck,  a  portion  of  it  must 
be  pumped  out  before  the  oil  appears,  which  is  then 
mixed  with  water,  by  the  passage  both  of  water  and 
oil  from  distant  sections  of  the  fissure.  Oil  opera- 
tors are  more  cautious  now  in  abandoning  wells 
which  yield  only  water  at  first,  after  tubing.  If  "  a 
good  show  of  oil"  induced  a  preparation  for  pump- 
ing, the  pump  is  usually  kept  in  motion  night  and 
day,  till  the  surplus  water,  which  comes  in  from 
water  veins  above,  notwithstanding  a  most  skilful 

'  O 

adjustment  of  the  seed-bag,  is  exhausted.     A  well  on 
Burning  Spring  Run  was  pumped  persistently  for 


204  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

six  weeks  before  the  water  was  exhausted,  when  it 
produced  oil  in  large  quantity,  and  has  proved  a  very 
valuable  and  enduring  well.  It  is  stated  that  a  pro- 
ductive oil  well  has  recently  been  obtained  in  Ohio, 
after  an  obstinate  pumping,  without  intermission, 
for  eight  weeks. 

Flowing  wells  sometimes  continue  for  months  at 
the  same  rate  of  production,  but  they  usually  decrease 
their  flow  gradually,  until  the  pressure  of  the  interior 
gas  and  the  exterior  air  are  equal,  when  the  flow 
ceases.  It  is  no  evidence  of  the  exhaustion  of  the 
reservoir  that  a  well  stops  flowing,  but  simply  a 
proof  of  comparative  exhaustion  of  the  gas ;  it  is  yet 
a  good  pumping  well,  and  may  yield  as  much  more 
oil,  or  possibly  twice  as  much  as  its  previous  aggre- 
gate production.  There  is  a  vast  difference  in  the 
action  of  pumping  wells.  The  yield  of  many  is 
periodical,  at  intervals  of  a  few  minutes  or  a  few 
hours.  The  accumulating  gas  opens  the  valve  of  the 
pump,  and  its  pressure,  as  it  escapes  in  volume, 
keeps  the  valve  open.  "When  the  ascending  gas  is 
too  weak  to  force  the  valve  back,  the  pump  resumes 
its  action,  and  a  fine  stream  of  nearly  pure  oil  often 
results.  Flowing  wells  generally  exhibit  a  similar 
periodicity  —  one  upon  Hughes'  River  has  flowed 
once  in  twenty-four  hours,  at  a  certain  hour  each 
morning,  for  years.  Others  have  preserved  a  regular 
daily  flow  ;  in  some  cases  the  action  has  been  gradu- 
ally deferred,  by  increasing  intervals.  Some  flowing 
wells  intermit  by  shorter  and  irregular  intervals. 

The  selection  of  a  site  for  boring  is  made  with 
much  care.  A  favorite  location  is  at  the  intersection 
of  two  valleys,  at  or  near  the  point  where  a  centra] 


SELECTION    OF   SITES.  205 

line  through  each  would  cross  each  other.  Marvel- 
lous tales  are  told,  as  formerly  with  reference  to 
water  veins,  of  the  magical  power  of  the  witch-hazel 
in  the  hands  of  a  professor  of  the  magical  art.  The 
lowest  land  is  usually  chosen ;  yet  there  are  produc- 
tive wells  in  "West  Virginia  as  well  as  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, upon  the  steep  hill  sides.  The  expectation  is 
that  breaks  or  fissures,  capable  of  holding  oil,  are 
more  likely  to  exist  in  valleys  than  on  the  hills.  As 
these  are  valleys  of  erosion,  rather  than  of  subsi- 
dence, there  may  be  really  no  better  reason  for 
boring  in  them,  in  preference  to  the  hills,  than  an 
expectation  of  reaching  the  oil  at  less  distance. 

18 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

USES.  —  QUANTITY   USED. 

THE  laboratory  of  the  chemist  is  full  of  the  won- 
ders of  petroleum,  which  is  pouring  a  flood  of 
blessings  upon  the  world  in  the  creation  of  new 
branches  of  industry.  The  scientific  zeal  of  Reichen- 
bach,  in  the  separation  of  many  of  its  constituents, 
is  rivalled  by  the  industry  and  skill  of  others  in 
discovering  new  combinations  of  these  elements, 
tending  to  increase  the  value  or  cheapen  the  cost  of 
a  multitude  of  life's  luxuries  and  utilities.  A  visit 
to  Professor  Hedrick's  room,  in  the  United  States 
Patent  Office,  will  indicate  a  hopeless  condition  of 
"oil  on  .the  brain"  of  inventors.  In  accelerating 
ratio  the  claims  for  patents  come  in  —  for  all  kinds 
of  machinery  and  implements,  for  processes  of  refin- 
ing, and  for  useful  products  in  substitution  for  other 
more  expensive  ingredients.  Abundant  material,  in 
this  branch  of  the  subject  alone,  is  at  hand  for  a  full 
and  interesting  volume.  For  instance,  in  the  month 
of  January,  in  1864,  no  less  than  fifteen  cases  were 
examined,  six  of  them  for  oil  barrels ;  the  others, 
respectively,  for  imparting  drying  qualities  to  oil,  for 
lining  for  barrels,  for  making  and  coating  pipes,  for 
vessels  for  containing  petroleum,  for  carburetting  air, 
for  roofing  composition,  for  waterproofing  paper  and 
cloth  with  paraffine,  for  combination  of  India-rubber 

(206) 


USES   OF    COAL    OIL.  207 

and  paraffine,  and  for  cleaning  wool.  In  February 
the  stream  continued ;  there  was  no  ebb  in  March 
or  April;  and  in  May,  the  number  of  cases  had  in- 
creased to  twenty,  for  purposes  as  follows:  gener- 
ating gas  (two  cases),  petroleum  still  (five  cases),  gas 
apparatus  (two  cases),  petroleum  vessels,  paint  for 
bottom  of  ships,  paint  for  wood  work,  composition 
for  floors,  manufacture  of  lampblack,  apparatus  for 
carburetting  air  (two  cases),  filter  for  oils,  apparatus 
for  distilling,  substitute  for  rosin,  and  bungs  for 
barrels.  All  of  these  cases  are  found  in  the  books 
of  one  examiner,  all  relating  to  the  chemistry  of 
petroleum. 

Its  use  as  an  illuminator,  now  so  general,  and  of 
so  recent  date,  is  not  altogether  new ;  the  village  of 
Fredonia,  and  the  lighthouse  at  Barcelona,  in  Chau- 
tauque  County,  in  New  York,  have  for  several  years 
been  lighted  with  petroleum  ;  and  it  is  claimed  that 
the  streets  of  Genoa  and  Parma,  in  Italy,  have  been 
lighted  with  it  for  two  centuries.  In  Persia  it  has 
long  been  used  for  illumination. 

In  the  distillation,  the  most  volatile  portion  of  the 
oil  passes  off  in  vapor,  condensing  into  a  thin,  volatile 
liquid,  called  naphtha  or  benzine.  Refined  benzine 
is  now  used. almost  exclusively  as  a  substitute  for 
spirits  of  turpentine,  in  paints  and  varnishes ;  and 
as  an  illuminator,  it  is  coming  into  extensive  use, 
especially  in  the  new  process  of  carburetting  air, 
'which  is  burned  in  the  same  manner  as  illuminating 
gas,  each  house  having  its  separate  gasometer  and 
fixtures.  It  produces  a  pure,  steady,  and  mellow 
light,  less  tremulous  and  injurious  to  eyesight  than 
coal  gas,  and  is  generally  preferred  by  those  who 


208  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

have  enjoyed  it,  Those  who  are  engaged  in  intro- 
ducing it  into  public  use,  claim  that  it  costs  but  half 
the  price  of  ordinary  gas,  and  is  free  from  smell, 
smoke,  or  danger  from  explosion. 

The  second  distillate,  of  a  specific  gravity  between 
seventy-four  and  eighty-two,  is  also  an  illuminating 
oil.  The  remainder,  or  residuum,  amounts  to  from 
five  to  ten  per  cent,  of  the  whole. 

From  the  published  statements  of  experiments 
made  by  chemists,  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the 
comparative  value  of  petroleum  illuminating  oil,  it 
appears  that  the  intensity  of  its  light  is  eighteen 
times  as  great  as  that  from  burning  fluid,  six  times 
as  great  as  the  light  of  sperm  oil,  and  more  than 
twice  the  intensity  of  camphene.  The  quantity  of 
light  is  double  that  of  camphene,  and  almost  three 
times  as  much  as  sperm.  It  is  a  little  cheaper  than 
camphene,  and  costs  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  price 
of  sperm  or  burning  fluid,  the  quantity  of  light 
being  equal. 

As  a  fuel  for  steamers,  upon  partial  experiments 
already  made,  it  is  assumed  to  require  scarcely  one- 
third  the  bulk  of  coal,  and  only  one-fifth  as  many 
men  to  manage  it. 

For  lubricating  purposes  it  is  in  constantly  increas- 
ing demand.  The  heavier  oil  only  is  adapted  to  the 
lubrication  of  machinery ;  and  from  its  comparative 
scarcity,  and  the  excessive  demand,  it  bears  a  high 
and  increasing  price.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad  uses  nearly  fourteen  hundred  barrels  per 
annum,  all  of  which  is  pumped  from  shallow  wells 
located  on  less  than  a  mile  of  a  narrow  valley, 
near  one  of  the  stations  of  the  road.  Much  of 


USES   OF   HEAVY    OILS.  209 

the  volatile  element  of  petroleum  having  passed 
into  the  air,  by  exposure  in  shallow  receptacles, 
surface  wells  uniformly  yield  a  lubricating  oil. 
There  is  a  wide  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  vari- 
ous lubricating  oils,  from  the  finest  watch  oil  to  that 
applied  to  locomotive  axles.  The  residuum  left  after 
extracting  the  liquid  oils,  and  other  useful  products, 
yields  a  valuable  grease  for  wheels.  The  heavy  oils 
are  also  used  instead  of  whale  oil  in  the  currying  of 
leather,  and  are  beginning  to  be  used  for  oiling 
wool. 

The  residuum  is  destined  to  undergo  an  almost 
unending  series  of  mutations.  Its  applications  may 
prove  more  various  than  those  of  gutta-percha. 
Among  the  most  beautiful  results  are  the  aniline 
colors,  specimens  of  which  can  be  seen  in  the  Museum, 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  value  of 
this  product  will  be  appreciated,  when  it  is  known 
that  coal-tar  dyes  (similar  if  not  identical  with  these), 
are  produced  in  England  to  the  value  of  nearly  half 
a  million  of  pounds  sterling  yearly,  for  dying  the 
beautiful  colors  magenta,  mauve,  and  various  shades 
of  blue  and  violet,  purple,  yellow,  orange,  and  green. 
Among  these  products  is  a  combination  for  coating 
iron  and  wood  to  preserve  from  oxidation  or  decay ; 
a  pitch  for  covering  the  bottoms  of  ships;  material 
for  pavements  and  tiles;  a  substitute  for  sealing-wax ; 
filling  for  shells  and  shrapnell  instead  of  sulphur;  a 
roofing  cement;  a  substitute  for  rosin  in  soldering; 
an  ingredient  in  the  manufacture  of  lampblack; 
chewing  gum,  as  mastic  and  rose,  in  beautiful  little 
sticks,  a  confection  of  which  many  tons  are  sold ; 
wax  used  in  adulterating  beeswax  and  for  making 

18* 


210  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

candles;  moulders'  facing  powder;  and,  finally, 
coffins,  indestructible,  and  claimed  to  be  unexcep- 
tionable in  all  respects. 

A  London  inventor  claims  to  have  discovered  three 
new  and  important  uses  of  petroleum — the  vapors 
of  coal  oil  and  coal  tar  as  chemical  agents  in  color- 
ing; the  ignited  vapors  of  the  oil  mixed  with  air  and 
steam  in  roasting  and  smelting  ores ;  oil  vapors,  with 
certain  portions  of  air  and  steam,  as  a  motive  power. 

Printing  inks,  of  all  colors,  are  made :  the  black 
superior  to  that  made  from  linseed  oil,  at  half  the 
cost.  The  economy  of  this  item  represents  an  im- 
mense amount  of  money. 

From  the  waste  acid  of  the  refineries  is  obtained 
a  substance  used  to  adulterate  cream  of  tartar,  —  or 
a  substitute  for  it.  It  is  said  to  be  used  in  the  self- 
raising  flour. 

A  half-dozen  varieties  of  soap,  from  cosmetic  to 
common  washing  varieties,  are  made  with  petroleum, 
and  are  held  in  high  repute. 

As  a  medicine,  for  which  it  was  popular  long  be- 
fore its  other  uses  were  discovered,  it  is  an  anaesthe- 
tic, a  remedy  for  cutaneous  diseases,  a  liniment  of 
acknowledged  virtues,  a  disinfectant,  and  a  specific 
for  consumption  by  inhalation  of  its  vapors. 

The  increase  in  the  production  of  petroleum  has 
been  rapid.  The  first  discovery  of  flowing  wells  in 
1859,  and  the  consequent  stimulation  of  the  business 
of  well  boring,  led  to  fears  of  glutting  the  market, 
and  then  to  panic,  and  abandonment  of  all  pumping 
wells.  Oil,  formerly  a  literal  drug,  became  again  a 
drug  in  a  mercantile  sense.  Improvements  in  lamps 
and  in  the  refining  process  had  commenced;  the 


STATISTICS   OF    PETROLEUM. 


211 


people  had  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  cheap  oil;  inven- 
tion was  fairly  aroused  to  a  zealous  competition  in 
improvement ;  and  the  result  was  the  same  that  ever 
follows  a  determined  effort  of  the  American  mind. 
The  progress,  at  first  slow,  accelerated  in  1862,  be- 
came extremely  rapid  in  1863.  The  striking  of 
flowing  wells  of  prodigious  yield,  during  the  latter 
year,  carried  the  annual  product  to  a  high  figure; 
yet  the  demand  continued,  a  foreign  consumption 
arose  to  keep  it  up,  and  the  excitement  in  oil  was 
carried  to  a  high  pitch  in  1864.  In  the  meantime, 
new  wells  were  bored,  but  the  excessive  flow  of  some 
of  the  spouting  wells  began  to  diminish.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  estimate  of  the  best  informed  in  petro- 
leum circles  in  New  York,  of  the  increase  and  extent 
of  petroleum  production : 


Year. 

Barrels,  Crude. 

Gallons,  Crude. 

Gallons,  Refined. 

1861 

1862 
1863 
1864 

600,000 
1.000,000 
2,000,000 
2,180,000 

24,000,000 
40,000,000 
80,000,000 
87,200,000 

16,800,000 
28,000,000 
56,000,000 
61,040,000 

It  has  been  popularly  estimated  that  the  total 
value  of  all  petroleum  products  of  1864  was  not  less 
than  fifty-six  millions  of  dollars — greater  than  the 
average  gold  product  of  the  United  States.  Governor 
Curtin,  of  Pennsylvania,  in  his  annual  message,  esti- 
mates the  annual  profit  of  petroleum  to  his  State  at 
fifty  millions. —  These  estimates  may  be  slightly  ex- 
aggerated, but  the  actual  value  must  approximate 
those  figures. 

At  the  close  of  1864  the  daily  production  was  esti- 
mated at  seven  thousand  five  hundred  barrels,  or 


212 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


three  hundred  thousand  gallons,  of  which  forty 
thousand  gallons  were  assumed  to  be  the  daily  pro- 
duction of  West  Virginia,  in  territory  only  beginning 
to  be  developed,  as  the  gradual  breaking  down  of 
the  rebellion  inspired  confidence  in  operations  there. 
The  increase  of  the  foreign  demand  is  shown  by 
the  following  statement  of  exports  : 


1861. 

1862. 

1863. 

1864. 

Refined  Oil,  barrels, 
Crude       "          " 
Naphtha,            " 
Tar,                     " 

Total,          " 

545,525 
232,680 
16,812 
5,187 

30,000 

267,000 

688,275 

800,204 

There  is  little  prospect  of  decline  in  this  demand, 
and  less  expectation  of  low  prices.  The  enormous 
premium  on  gold  in  1864  gave  it  a  fictitious  advan- 
tage which  may  never  be  enjoyed  again;  yet  there 
is  little  prospect  in  the  future  for  a  lower  gold  value. 
Its  introduction  into  new  localities,  its  manifold  and 
constantly  increasing  list  of  uses,  and  its  possible 
employment  in  steam  generation  for  long  voyages, 
render  it  highly  probable  that  the  demand  will  fully 
keep  pace  with  any  increase  of  supply,  and  maintain 
the  present  prices. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

WELL   BORING.  —  OIL  DISTILLING.  —  REFINING. 

THE  first  operation  in  "well  boring,"  which  is 
really  well  drilling,  is  to  dig  through  the  soil  to 
the  cap-rock,  and  insert  a  wooden  box  about  eight 
inches  square  —  called  a  "  conductor,"  because 
designed  as  a  guide  to  the  drill,  through  which  it  is 
inserted.  Then  the  derrick,  a  square,  steeple-like 
frame,  is  built,  about  twelve  feet  square  at  the  base 
and  four  at  the  top,  as  a  support  for  the  pulley  by 
which  the  tools  are  raised  or  lowered.  These  are 
rough  or  well-wrought,  cheap  or  dear,  at  the  pleasure 
of  the  proprietor,  costing  sometimes  sixty  dollars, 
sometimes  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

The  tools  are  of  various  styles  and  curious  con- 
struction. The  drill  is  three  feet  in  length,  four 
inches  in  diameter,  rounded  above,  champered  and 
chisel-shaped  at  the  point.  Both  rope  and  pole  tools 
are  used,  but  the  rope  is  generally  preferred  for  deep 
wells.  The  poles  are  jointed  with  screws,  in  lengths 
of  perhaps  ten  or  twelve  feet.  The  poles  or  rope  are 
lifted  a  few  inches  by  steam-power,  and  allowed  to 
drop,  clipping  a  fragment  of  rock  at  each  fall.  A 
heavy  circular  bar  of  iron,  to  which  the  drill  is 
attached,  is  suspended  by  the  rope  or  poles,  the 
whole  weighing  five  hundred  pounds  or  more,  and 
thus  giving  the  required  momentum  to  the  drill.  A 

(213) 


214  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

reamer  follows  the  drill,  breaking  down  irregularities 
and  enlarging  slightly  the  hole.  Once  or  twice  daily 
a  sand-pump  is  lowered,  and  the  mingled  debris  and 
water,  which  is  forced  through  the  valve,  is  drawn  up. 

After  striking  oil,  the  tube,  usually  two  inches  in 
diameter,  is  put  down  in  sections.  The  seed-bag, 
designed  to  prevent  the  passage  of  water  from  veins 
above  into  the  oil  cavity,  is  filled  with  flax-seed,  and 
placed  between  the  tubing  and  outer  wall  of  the 
well. 

The  devices  for  grasping  tools  or  fragments  which 
have  been  lost  or  become  fast  in  the  well,  are  very 
ingenious,  and  worthy  of  particular  examination. 
Improvements  are  frequently  perfected  in  this  impor- 
tant department  of  well-boring. 

The  cost  of  sinking  a  well  five  hundred  feet,  in 
West  Virginia,  is  about  six  thousand  dollars,  includ- 
ing engine  and  fixtures.  Few  of  the  wells  in  West 
Virginia  have  cost  that  amount ;  some  of  them  find- 
ing oil  at  shallow  depths,  and  drilled  with  a  spring 
pole,  requiring  no  engine,  have  cost  but  a  small 
fraction  of  that  sum.  The  proprietors  usually  supply 
an  engine,  fixtures,  and  fuel,  and  contract  for  the 
labor  of  drilling,  paying  from  two  dollars  and  a  half 
to  three  dollars  and  a  half  per  foot,  according  to  the 
depth  of  the  well.  The  cost  has  varied  somewhat 
with  the  price  of  labor.  Higher  prices  would  be 
demanded,  if  the  depth  should  exceed  six  hundred 
feet.  The  tools  cost  from  three  to  four  hundred 
dollars.  The  rapidity  of  boring  depends  upon  a 
thousand  contingencies.  The  first  hundred  feet 
may  be  accomplished  in  four  or  five  days,  under 
"favorable  circumstances;  yet  it  usually  takes  several 


WELL    BORING.  215 

months,  often  the  greater  portion  of  the  year,  to 
complete  a  well  and  get  it  in  operation.  In  cases 
where  industry  is  unwearied,  accidents  avoided  by 
care,  and  oil  is  fortunately  struck  at  a  moderate 
depth,  the  well  is  put  to  work  in  from  thirty  to  sixty 
days. 

Invention  has  been  greatly  stimulated  in  devising 
means  for  boring  and  pumping  oil  wells.  The 
devices  used  and  patented  are  of  most  varied  forms, 
and  adapted  either  to  bore  the  rock,  or  by  combined 
action  to  bore  and  pump  at  the  same  time.  The 
main  object  desired  to  be  obtained,  is  rapidity  and 
certainty  of  execution,  and  to  avoid  difficulties  occa- 
sioned by  the  presence  of  debris,  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  work.  The  working  of  the  drill  produces  a 
fine  and  almost  pulverized  powder,  proceeding  from 
the  rock;  and  it  is  only  by  forcing  water  into  or 
around  the  drill,  that  the  debris  is  kept  in  a  liquefied 
state  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  pumped  out. 
The  form  of  the  cutting  portion  of  the  drill,  and 
cutters  used  to  enlarge  the  original  orifice,  also  form 
the  subject  matter  of  many  of  the  inventions. 

It  is  known  by  practical  experience  in  boring 
for  oil,  that  many  of  the  crevices  in  the  rock, 
through  which  -the  oil  would  naturally  flow,  are 
stopped  by  the  thick  paste  of  the  moistened  pulver- 
ized rock-borings.  Hence  the  apparent  necessity  of 
side  cutters,  operated  from  within  the  drill  proper, 
and  forced  outwardly,  by  suitable  power,  to  enlarge 
the  area  of  the  bore,  and  permit  a  free  flow  of  the 
oil.  Another  device  used  for  a  similar  purpose  (to 
some  extent),  is  the  reamer  attached  to  the  drill, 
used  principally,  however,  to  make  a  smooth  surface 


216  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

to  the  bore,  bnt  incidentally  accomplishing  the  result 
above  referred  to.  Since  the  first  of  May  last,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  applications  for  patents  have 
been  filed,  and  seventy-nine  patents  granted,  for 
devices  used  in  boring  rocks  and  wells. 

A  French  invention  for  boring  wells  has  been 
introduced  into  this  country.  The  tool  consists  of  a 
tubular  stock  of  steel,  with  cutting  edges  of  dia- 
monds —  not  of  "  the  first  water,"  of  course  —  which 
leaves  a  solid  core  of  rock  in  the  centre  of  the  cut. 
It  cuts  the  rock  with  great  rapidity,  and  will  work  a 
revolution,  it  is  claimed,  in  well  boring  —  "cutting 
five  hundred  feet  in  twenty  days."  The  core  is  broken 
off  at  intervals,  and  taken  out  with  a  clamp —  serving 
to  show  the  geological  character  of  the  strata  more 
perfectly  than  the  "bore  meal "  of  the  usual  process 
of  drilling. 

The  School  of  Mines,  connected  with  the  Polytech- 
nic College  at  Philadelphia,  has  a  set  of  models  of 
improved  well-boring  implements,  from  Germany, 
where  the  art  has  been  brought  to  great  perfection, 
comprising  derricks,  cutters,  reamers,  enlargers, 
sand-pumps,  jars,  crabs,  iron  rods,  wooden  poles,  and 
impression  boxes  for  removing  fragments  of  broken 
tools. 

An  "  automatic  well-borer  "  has  been  invented  by 
General  H.  Haupt,  consisting  of  a  vertical  cylinder 
placed  directly  over  the  well,  operated  by  steam, 
with  a  hollow  piston  rod  attached  to  a  hollow  piston, 
which  moves  a  hemp  or  wire  rope  to  which  the 
boring  tool  is  attached.  The  drill  penetrates  rapidly, 
bores  a  circular  hole  requiring  no  reamer  to  perfect 
it.  A  boiler,  but  no  engine,  is  required. 


ATWOOD'S  DRILLING  MACHINE.  217 

Among  the  improvements  in  drilling  should  be 
mentioned  prominently  "Atwood's  Patent  Drilling 
Machine,  with  pipe-driver  and  hydraulic  sand-pump 
combined,"  which  promises  to  work  a  revolution  in 
the  business  of  well  sinking,  by  its  great  celerity  of 
execution,  simplicity,  and  consequent  reduction  of 
expense.  It  requires  no  derricks,  bull-wheels,  Sam- 
son's-posts,  reamers,  sand-pumps  —  and  occupies  a 
space  of  less  than  five  feet  square,  exclusive  of  the 
engine.  It  is  on  wheels,  ready  for  instant  removal 
to  other  wells.  The  drill  is  attached  to  the  end  of 
two-inch  tubing,  which  is  in  readiness  for  pumping 
as  soon  as  oil  is  struck.  The  drill,  equally  economi- 
cal of  results,  reams  as  well  as  drills  at  one  operation ; 
and  the  sand-pump  is  also  dispensed  with,  by  attach- 
ing a  hose  to  the  end  of  the  drill  tube,  and  forcing  a 
volume  of  water  down  it,  which,  discharging  through 
openings  in  the  drill  barrel,  forces  the  detritus  or 
sediment  up  on  the  outside  of  the  drill  tube.  This 
occupies  but  a  few  minutes,  and  is  thorough,  besides 
keeping  open  the  small  oil  crevices  that  are  so  often 
closed  up  under  the  old  system  of  sand  pumping. 
Thus  the  work  proceeds  continuously,  without  re- 
moval of  the  drill,  except  for  sharpening.  It  is  con- 
fidently assumed  by  those  interested  in  it,  and  with 
much  show  of  reason,  to  be  as  great  an  improvement 
upon  primitive  practices  in  well  boring  as  the  per- 
fected telegraph  is  upon  the  kite  of  Franklin. 

It  is  regarded  by  examiner  James,  of  the  Patent 
Office,  with  great  favor,  and  has  already  been  intro- 
duced into  successful  practice.  Those  interested  are 
referred,  for  more  particular  information,  to  S.  Le- 
land,  at  the  Metropolitan  Hotel  in  New  York. 

19 


218  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

The  refining  of  petroleum  is  a  simpler  and  easier 
process  than  the  refining  of  coal  oil.  The  crude  oil 
is  placed  in  an  under-ground  reservoir,  to  protect 
from  loss  either  by  leakage  or  fire ;  and  thence 
pumped  into  iron  retorts  or  stills,  which  are  heated 
by  furnaces.  Tubes  at  the  top  of  these  retorts  pass 
through  tanks,  kept  full  of  water.  The  retorts  are 
subjected  to  heat  for  forty-eight  hours;  first  the 
lighter,  then  the  heavier  illuminating  oil,  passes  over 
in  vapor.  It  is  again  heated,  again  evaporated,  and 
conducted  through  condensing  tubes  into  under- 
ground reservoirs.  The  purification  is  not  yet  com- 
plete. Being  pumped  into  a  wooden  tank,  chemicals 
are  added,  the  petroleum  is  agitated  violently  by  the 
introduction  of  a  column  of  air  injected  through  the 
bottom  of  the  tank  by  a  force-pump,  and  a  thorough 
admixture  of  the  ingredients  is  thus  simply  procured. 
It  is  then  drawn  off  into  shallow  tanks  to  settle,  and 
becomes  clarified  —  the  illuminating  oil  of  com- 
merce. Sulphuric  acid  is  used,  and  caustic  soda  to 
remove  the  acid. 

New  processes,  or  modifications  of  old  ones,  are 
being  rapidly  introduced.  New  inventions  are  pa- 
tented every  month,  affecting  some  of  the  details,  if 
not  the  principles,  of  refining.  There  are  several 
inventions  or  claims  for  refining  by  filtration,  upon 
which  high  hopes  are  based. 

In  the  distillation  a  very  ethereal  liquid,  called 
gasoline,  possessing  anaesthetic  properties,  like  chlo- 
roform, first  passes  over,  followed  by  a  slightly 
heavier  liquid,  about  three-fourths  the  weight  of 
water,  very  inflammable,  known  as  benzine,  useful 
for  making  paints  and  varnishes,  and  for  carburetting 


REFINING.  219 

common  air,  used  in  houses  as  a  substitute  for  coal 
gas.  It  has  a  delicate  yellow  tint,  samples  differing 
from  almost  colorless  to  darker  products.  After 
these  volatile  products  are  evolved,  illuminating  or 
lamp  oil  is  the  next  result  of  the  distillation.  If  the 
lighter  portion  of  the  oil  has  been  properly  separated, 
there  is  no  danger  from  explosion.  If  the  oil  takes 
fire  in  contact  with  a  lighted  match,  it  should  be  dis- 
carded. 

After  the  burning  oils  have  passed,  come  still  hea- 
vier or  lubricating  oils,  separated  into  "light"  and 
"heavy"  qualities.  The  residuum  may  also  be  used 
for  lubricating.  Some  of  these  oils  have  proved 
equal  to  the  best  sperm ;  the  lightest  will  not  answer 
for  machinery  worked  at  high  speed. 

If  the  heavier  portions  of  the  oil  are  subjected  to 
heat  again,  a  wax  called  paraffine  is  produced  in 
white  scales  or  crystals.  This  is  purified  by  agitating 
it  in  a  melted  state  with  sulphuric  acid,  and  washing 
with  water  and  caustic  alkali;  it  is  then  moulded 
into  candles  cheaper  and  better  than  sperm.  This 
is  regarded  by  chemists  as  a  compound  substance, 
composed  of  several  solid  hydro-carbons. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE   ERA    OP   OIL   WELLS.  —  THE   BURNING    SPRINGS   DIS- 
TRICT.  THE    LITTLE    KANAWHA. 

THE  dawning  of  the  era  of  petroleum  has  thrown 
an  unaccustomed  light  upon  the  quiet  and  lonely 
forest  hills  of  West  Virginia.  A  century  since,  the 
wild  deer  and  the  wilder  Indian  were  undisturbed 
possessors ;  a  little  later,  the  white  hunter  began  to 
encroach  upon  those  game  preserves,  shooting  with 
equal  zest  a  fat  buck  or  a  tough  Indian ;  then 
followed  the  pioneer,  or  hunter-farmer,  to  whom  the 
oozing  oil  was  a  greasy  fluid,  useful  for  sprains  or 
bruises  in  man  or  beast,  and  nothing  more.  The 
coal,  outcropping  in  six-foot  veins,  he  could  mine  for 
his  own  use,  if  he  found  it  in  his  cellar  or  in  a  near 
hill-side ;  and  sometimes  he  dreamed,  that  in  the 
dim  future,  when  forests  should  be  scarce  and  rail- 
roads plenty,  it  might  be  valuable.  Yet  he  might 
sell  his  farm,  improvements  and  all,  for  five  dollars 
an  acre.  His  vision  of  enhanced  values  was  far  off 
and  unsubstantial,  dissipated  by  the  clink  of  a  few 
present  dollars. 

How  changed  the  scene  !  In  the  spring  of  1865, 
an  eager  crowd  of  strangers,  on  horseback  and  on 
foot,  are  threading  those  narrow  valleys,  climbing 
the  steep  hillsides,  searching  for  signs  of  upheaval, 
measuring  the  dip  of  the  rocks,  inspecting  appear- 

(220) 


PROSPECTING    FOll    OIL.  221 

ances  of  "  oil-blossom,"  watching  for  oil  bubbles  to 
rise  to  the  surface  on  the  margins  of  streams,  and 
noting  all  acknowledged  "indications"  of  oil.  The 
soil  is  a  secondary  consideration  ;  timber  is  some- 
what more  important,  for  fixtures  or  fuel;  coal  is 
really  worth  prospecting  for. 

The  oil  seeker  passes  unobserved  the  beautiful  red 
bud  that  crimsons  the  scene  with  its  bright  blos- 
soms; and  the  wild  flowers  he  tramples  carelessly 
under  his  feet.  As  he  wanders  amid  the  wild  scenery 
the  coup  dczil  loses  its  interest  in  the  prospect  for  a 
more  profitable  coup  d'huile.  If  reminded  that  the 
climate  is  suggestive  of  Italy,  he  knows  only  that 
Parma  is  brilliantly  illuminated;  if  told  of  Greece, 
he  perhaps  proffers  an  investment  in  the  Ionian  Isles. 
Everything  is  golden,  because  the  lens  which  magni- 
fies the  objects  of  his  vision  is  a  drop  of  oil. 

What  wonder  that  agriculture  languishes,  and  that 
the  farmer  either  goes  to  drilling,  or  sells  his  land 
and  emigrates?  The  local  press  tells  truly  that, 
"  Land  is  seemingly  changing  hands  by  whole  coun- 
ties. Many  tracts  have  been  resold  two  or  three 
times  within  the  past  three  months  —  double  the 
cost  price  at  each  sale."  Many  a  quiet  farmer  has 
sold  his  hillside  acres  for  ready  money  sufficient  for 
the  purchase  of  an  equal  area  of  rich  Ohio  bottom 
land;  and  he  is  well  satisfied  with  the  exchange. 
Others  have  leased  their  lands,  and  are  already  in 
receipt  of  more  money  than  they  ever  expected  to 
see ;  yet  such  cases  are  few  as  yet,  and  confined  to 
two  or  three  localities  in  which  developments  have 
been  made.  Elsewhere  land-owners  are  hopefully 
awaiting  the  progress  of  the  drill,  confident  of  a 

19* 


222  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

fortune  in  the  future.  Nor  are  they  building  "  castles 
in  the  air;"  their  hopes  seem  to  be  well  grounded. 

While  West  Virginia  has  borne  with  Pennsylvania 
a  reputation  as  an  undoubted  oil  region,  circum- 
stances have  rendered  the  development  of  each  veiy 
unequal.  Either  the  incursions  of  guerillas,  or  the 
fear  of  them,  has  stopped  existing  enterprises,  during 
the  war  of  the  rebellion,  even  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Ohio  River ;  and  in  the  interior,  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Little  Kanawha,  upon  the  Elk,  and  Pocotalico, 
Great  Kanawha,  Guyandotte,  and  Big  Sandy,  it  has 
been  simply  impossible  to  commence  operations,  and 
very  dangerous  and  impracticable  to  prospect  for  the 
best  locations,  or  to  make  purchases  or  contracts. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago,  in  boring  for  salt  on 
the  Little  Kanawha,  twenty-seven  miles  above 
Parkersburg,  oil  was  discovered.  In  the  spring  of 
1860,  S.  D.  Karnes  leased  from  John  D.  Rathbone 
this  abandoned  salt  well,  and  was  remunerated  for 
his  efforts  by  a  profitable  yield  of  oil,  at  the  rate 
of  fifty  barrels  per  day.  Attention  was  attracted 
to  the  spot,  and  active  operations  were  commenced 
by  others.  In  the  autumn,  a  well  sunk  by  J.  C. 
Rathbone  astonished  the  country  with  a  product  of 
three  hundred  barrels  daily,  and  even  vastly  more 
for  a  few  days,  the  exact  quantity  (three  thousand 
were  reported)  in  the  first  overwhelming  flow  of  oil, 
never  having  been  precisely  determined. 

Other  wells  of  great  value  were  obtained ;  success 
added  fuel  to  the  flame  of  excitement;  farmers, 
mechanics,  and  professional  men,  leaving  their  voca- 
tions, flocked  to  the  oil  region,  the  centre  of  which 
was  the  Rathbone  farms;  a  village  of  shanties 


LLEWELLYN   WELL.  223 

became  densely  populous,  with  derricks  instead  of 
church  spires,  the  cooperage  of  tanks  and  barrels  the 
only  mechanical  product,  and  the  oil  traffic  and 
transport  the  prolific  source  of  remunerative  labor. 
Sharp  speculative  men,  eager  to  reap  the  advantage 
which  circumstances  offered,  waited  not  a  moment ; 
but  floated  upon  the  tide  which  promised  to  lead  to 
fortune,  long  before  it  had  reached  its  flood.  They 
bought  lands  where  they  could ;  and  then  took  leases 
of  all  that  remained.  The  excitement  spread ;  neigh- 
boring territory  was  involved ;  strange  faces  peopled 
every  farm,  and  every  farm-house  became  an  inn. 

A  participant  in  this  struggle  for  sudden  wealth, 
who  was  present  when  the  Llewellyn  and  Eternal 
Centre  wells  were  struck,  thus  writes :  "  The  desire 
of  obtaining  boring  territory  soon  became  so  great 
that  large  bounties  were  demanded  and  paid.  At 
first,  one  thousand  dollars  per  acre  and  one  third  of 
the  oil,  were  the  conditions;  afterwards  two  thou- 
sand dollars  per  acre  and  one  third  of  the  oil  in  iron 
bound  barrels  were  demanded  and  given.  The 
amount  of  oil  thrown  out  by  the  Llewellyn  "Well, 
was  such  as  to  produce  the  impression  that  the  sur- 
face included  within  a  radius  of  one  mile  from  that 
well  as  the  centre,  contained  the  oil  centre  of  the 
world.  Men  ran  wild  with  speculation,  and  the 
desire  to  sink  wells  within  that  limited  locality,  was 
boundless.  A  village  sprung  up  in  one  month,  and 
as  the  season  progressed  towards  spring,  it  was  cal- 
culated that  over  two  thousand  persons  would  be 
located  on  the  ground  before  June." 

The  breaking  out  of  civil  war  at  this  juncture,  in 
the  midst  of  this  scene  of  busy  life,  was  as  unwelcome 


224  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

as  a  spectre  at  a  wedding.  The  echoes  of  Sumter, 
as  an  evil  spell,  stirred  to  treason  the  hearts  of  "  oil 
men" — those  who  believed  in  the  right  of  a  State 
to  commit  suicide  —  while  the  patriots,  who  meant 
that  our  starry  flag  should  wave  forever  over  a  united 
country,  prepared  to  do  or  die  in  its  defence.  Mutual 
repulsion  was  instantaneous ;  as  oil  and  water  sepa- 
rate, the  loyal  and  disloyal  element  parted  company, 
the  traitors  first  moving  South,  the  adherents  of  the 
Union  going  North,  leaving  derrick  and  drill,  tank 
and  well,  and  all  the  appointments  of  oil  production, 
to  the  risks  of  violence  and  malice,  destruction  and 
decay. 

Yet  some  of  the  principal  wells,  in  which  interests 
were  held  by  persons  in  the  neighborhood,  were 
operated  with  slight  interruption,  although  exposed 
to  guerilla  incursions,  and  the  inconvenience  of  a 
lack  of  laborers,  so  that  the  production  of  1861  was 
but  four  million  gallons.  In  1862,  the  war,  at  first 
believed  not  to  be  of  long  continuance  or  great 
severity,  gathered  gloom,  and  afforded  less  encourage- 
ment to  oil  operators  than  ever;  yet  there  were 
three  million  two  hundred  thousand  gallons  sent  to 
market  from  this  point. 

In  May  of  1863,  the  rebel  General  Jones,  with  a 
strong  force,  made  a  descent  upon  Burning  Spring 
run,  burned  twenty  thousand  barrels  of  oil,  tanks, 
barrels,  derricks,  houses,  and  fixtures,  broke  the  en- 
gines, and  filled  up  the  wells.  A  considerable  time 
elapsed  before  these  partial  operations  were  again 
renewed ;  and  the  result  of  the  labors  of  the  season 
probably  did  not  exceed  two  millions  of  gallons. 

In  1864  confidence  began  to  revive.     Well  boring 


PROSPECTING.  225 

was  started  anew ;  some  of  the  old  wells  were  put 
in  order  and  found  productive.     A  few  of  the  oldest, 
which  had  been  kept  in  operation  a  good  portion  of 
the  time  since  1861,  showed  signs  of  exhaustion.     In 
one  or  two  instances,  the  expedient  of  boring  deeper 
was  resorted  to,  with  very  gratifying  pecuniary  re- 
sults.    One  of  these  has  recently  been  reported  a 
fifty-barrel  well.     At  the  close  of  the  year  the  excite- 
ment was  intense.     Engines  by  scores  were  brought 
from  Parkersburg  to  this  vicinity,  and  the  neighbor- 
ing lands  were  purchased  for  future  operations,  or 
for  speculative  purposes.     The  lands  of  Standing- 
Stone,    Reedy,    Tucker's,   Lynn   Camp,  Lee's,    and 
many  other  creeks,  and  of  Two  Riffles,  Rock,  and 
other   runs,  which   swell  the  waters  of  the  Little 
Kanawha,  were  prospected,  surveyed,  sold  or  leased, 
and  either  "stocked"  or  reserved  for  individual  en- 
terprise.    The   shrewd   operators   upon   Oil   Creek, 
where  the  best  lands  commanded  from  one  to  ten 
thousand  dollars  per  acre,  seized  upon  these  lands  at 
fifty,  one  hundred,  two  hundred  dollars,   or  more, 
according  to  "indications"  or  location.    On  Burning 
Spring  Creek,  indeed,  the  more  modest  of  the  Oil 
Creek  figures   were    asked   and   obtained  —  if  five 
thousand  dollars  per  acre  may  be  deemed  modest. 

While  all  this  prospecting,  buying  and  selling,  were 
in  progress,  the  old  wells,  few  in  number,  flowed  on, 
or  were  pumped  industriously,  yielding  a  quantity 
of  oil,  comparatively  small,  but  amply  sufficient  to 
enrich  their  owners,  and  to  encourage  the  multitude 
of  oil  operators  in  their  efforts.  The  very  intensity 
of  the  excitement  tended  to  retard  development. 
Land  once  sold,  instead  of  being  worked,  was  resold, 


226  WEST   VIEGINIA. 

or  placed  in  a  stock  company  which  might  be  months 
in  getting  an  engine  on  the  ground,  or  in  disposing 
of  leases,  which  would  involve  in  turn  an  equal  de- 
lay. Yet  scores  of  wells  were  commenced  during 
the  autumn,  to  be  finished  in  the  spring  or  summer 
of  the  present  year ;  and  at  the  present  writing  new 
wells  are  struck,  almost  weekly,  on  Burning  Springs 
run  and  vicinity,  four  or  five  of  which  are  yielding 
highly  profitable  results,  being  reported  at  fifty  to 
seventy-five  barrels  each.  And  at  the  same  time 
some  of  the  old  wells  are  making  increased  returns, 
and  giving  new  evidence  of  the  permanence  of 
the  oil  supply.  The  wells  which,  it  is  morally 
certain,  will  find  oil  in  all  this  region,  during  the 
summer,  will  deepen  the  popular  faith  in  Little 
Kanawha  oil,  and  probably  intensify  the  excitement 
of  last  winter.  And,  what  is  better,  they  .will 
yield  more  oil  than  was  ever  before  obtained  in  this 
oil  field,  give  remunerative  profits  to  all  judicious 
investors,  and  add  to  the  productive  resources  of  the 
nation. 

The  Standing-Stone  region,  although  undeveloped, 
is  very  popular.  Several  oil  companies  have  been 
formed  upon  it,  under  the  patronage  and  co-operation 
of  high  officials  and  prosperous  business  men ;  and 
farms  have  been  sold  there  at  five  hundred  dollars 
per  acre. 

Two  Riffles  Run,  a  diminutive  stream,  has  been 
the  centre  of  a  brisk  trade  in  lands,  at  more  than 
two  hundred  dollars  per  acre  in  certain  cases. 

On  the  south  side,  the  valley  of  Reedy  Creek,  on 
" the  oil  belt,"  is  a  favorite  field  for  investment;  has 
changed  hands,  some  of  it  more  than  once ;  is  a 


BURNING    SPRINGS   WELLS.  227 

finely  timbered  region,  with,  some  excellent  farm 
lands.  Numerous  other  affluents  of  the  main  stream, 
draining  large  portions  of  Calhoun,  Gilmer  and 
Braxton  Counties,  afford  the  most  promising  locali- 
ties of  the  central  oil  field. 

The  oil  of  the  Burning  Springs  wells  is  of  average 
specific  gravity,  generally  about  40°  Beaume.  It  is 
heavier  than  that  of  Pennsylvania,  worth  more  for 
illumination,  and  bears  a  higher  price.  It  is  found 
in  large  quantities  at  a  less  depth,  having  come,  in 
most  cases,  from  cavities  pierced  at  less  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  surface.  "When 
showing  signs  of  exhaustion,  wells  have  been  sunk 
deeper,  and  the  largely  increased  product  has  proved 
the  existence  of  something  more  than  surface  accu- 
mulations in  transient  supply.  One,  deepened  from 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  to  two  hundred  and 
eighty-five,  has  yielded  fifty  barrels  daily.  This  fact 
is  corroborative  of  the  theory  of  Professor  Andrews, 
that  the  origin  of  the  oil  is  deep  in  the  beds  of  bitu- 
minous shales,  which  are  computed  to  contain  more 
combustible  matter  than  the  coal  measures. 

A  well  recently  struck  on  Reedy  Creek  yields  a 
fitill  heavier  oil  than  that  of  Burning  Springs  —  a 
lubricating  oil  -of  excellent  quality.  This  affords 
proof,  were  evidence  needed,  of  the  value  of  the 
lands  lying  in  a  direct  line  between  the  famous  Burn- 
ing Springs  of  the  two  Kanawhas. 

A  good  well  has  also  been  struck  in  Jackson 
County,  on  the  Ohio  River. 

The  surface  configuration  is  peculiar,  more  abrupt, 
the  valleys  narrower,  (particularly  in  Wirt  County,) 
than  in  other  American  oil  regions.  As  in  other 


228  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

sections,  the  same  "benches"  occur,  or  nearly  level 
areas,  at  intervals  between  the  valleys  and  summits, 
occasioned,  apparently,  by  land  slides.  The  hill 
ranges  take  every  imaginable  direction.  At  many 
points,  three,  four  or  more  ravines  appear  to  radiate 
from  a  centre.  Upon  such  localities  oil  speculators 
are  apt  to  seize,  and  well-borers  to  erect  their  der- 
ricks ;  and,  in  truth,  it  is  at  such  points,  in  two  out 
of  the  three  original  oil  discoveries  of  West  Virginia, 
that  the  largest  and  most  profitable  results  have  been 
attained. 


CHAPTER 


THE  HUGHES'  RIVER  REGION.  —  OIL  RUN  OF  GOOSE  CREEK.  — 
HORSENECK  AND  COW  CREEK. 

ONE  mile  below  the  junction  of  the  North  and 
South  Forks  of  Hughes'  River,  and  five  miles 
south  of  Petroleum  Station,  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  is  the  site  of  the  noted  "sand  diggings," 
which  supplied,  for  medical  uses,  many  barrels  of 
oil  yearly;  seventy-five  barrels  is  the  maximum 
estimate  of  an  intelligent  business  man  of  Parkers- 
burg,  who  once  sent  a  lot  to  Philadelphia,  and  real- 
ized a  little  less  than  the  freight  !  The  diggings  are 
now  neglected,  and  exhibit  few  signs  of  their  former 
fatness. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  this 
point,  a  shallow  well,  little  more  than  one  hundred 
feet  deep,  now  owned  by  Hon.  J.  B.  Blair,  has  been 
flowing  at  regular  intervals,  one  barrel  daily,  for  five 
years.  An  engine  will  soon  be  placed  there,  and  its 
capacity  as  a  "pumping  well"  tested.  The  oil  is  of 
a  superior  quality.  The  river  here  exhibits  oil  rising 
from  its  bed,  and  spreading  over  the  surface  of  the 
water: 

A  little  higher,  on  the  north  side,  near  the  mouth 
of  a  narrow  ravine,  a  well  has  just  been  struck,  upon 
the  property  of  an  Eastern  company,  thus  described 

20  (229) 


230  WEST   VIRGINIA 

by  the   editor  of  the  Parkersburg  Gazette,  in  the 
issue  of  July  6,  1865 : 

"The  well  is  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  deep, 
and  cost,  we  presume,  some  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
Just  above  it  is  an  alcove,  in  the  sand-rock,  affording 
water  for  the  engine.  The  well  seemed  to  be  only 
slightly  affected  by  gas,  is  tubed,  without  a  seed  bag, 
and  is  being  pumped  quite  slowly.  About  four  hundred 
barrels  of  oil  were  standing  in  casks  and  tanks,  and 
during  the  day  we  spent  there  the  well,  with  its  defec- 
tive machinery,  pumped  as  near  as  we  could  estimate, 
about  forty  barrels  of  oil.  The  yield  of  oil  per  day 
seems  to  be  increasing.  There  is  little  doubt  that  when 
the  well  is  properly  tubed,  and  worked  to  its  capacity, 
it  will  nearly  double  its  present  yield,  if  not  more. 
Reckoned  in  cash,  the  well  is  now  paying  its  owners  at 
least  nine  thousand  dollars  per  month,  or  at  the  rate  of 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  year,  at 
the  present  prices  for  oil.  The  oil  by  actual  and  accu- 
rate test,  by  Professor  Barnes,  is  slightly  over  35° 
Beauine".  To  the  above  facts  we  invite  attention,  and 
in  view  of  them,  the  intrinsic  value  of  this  locality  for 
oil  purposes  is  incalculable.  A  man  can  well  afford  to 
suffer  forty  failures  to  obtain  one  or  two  sxich  wells,  but 
we  know  of  no  place  in  West  Virginia  where  a  failure 
is  less  likely  than  at  this  point." 

Near  the  forks,  about  a  mile  further  east,  oil  has 
been  struck,  and  also  at  the  California  House,  the 
same  distance  west.  Several  wells  are  in  progress 
at  the  latter  point,  two  of  them  at  least  six  hundred 
feet  deep.  The  Vesta  Company  has  large  interests 
between  the  "sand  diggings"  and  Petroleum;  and 
the  Bickel  well,  on  Buffalo  Run,  in  which  it  owns 
a  half  interest,  created  a  great  sensation  recently, 
upon  reaching  oil,  by  its  violent  expulsion  of  oil, 
gas,  water,  and  fragments  of  rock. 

Other  wells  are  in  progress,  further  west,  on  Hughea' 


OIL    EUN   WELLS.  231 

River,  Turtle  Run,  Goose  Creek,  "Walker  Creek,  and 
other  streams.  At  least  thirty  wells  have  been  com- 
menced in  this  region. 

Upon  Oil  Run,  a  little  valley  winding  through 
rocky  hills,  whose  disarranged  strata  dip  in  every 
direction,  at  every  angle  of  inclination,  may  be  seen 
a  marvel  of  nature  and  a  curiosity  of  industry  —  the 
Virginia  Oil  Works  —  owned  by  a  company  of  promi- 
nent business  men  of  Wheeling.  The  works  are 
located  two  miles  north  of  the  North- Western  Vir- 
ginia Railroad,  very  nearly  in  a  direct  north  and 
south  line  with  the  oil  springs  of  Wirt  County  and 
of  Western  Pennsylvania. 

The  oil  is  among  the  heaviest  known  in  the  coun- 
try, almost  destitute  of  benzole  and  naphtha,  and  a 
superior  lubricator.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road uses,  as  the  best  lubricating  oil  attainable,  about 
one  hundred  barrels  per  month. 

A  dozen  wells  were  working  at  the  date  of  the 
writer's  visit,  all  operated  by  a  rude  but  effective,  as 
well  as  novel,  system  of  mechanism,  driven  by  a  sin- 
gle engine  of  fifteen  horse-power,  with  ample  power 
to  spare  for  the  working  of  many  more  wells.  It  is 
called  a  "telegraph,"  its  continuous  line  of  rough 
scantling,  suspended  by  iron  hangers  between  dupli- 
cate telegraph-like  poles,  being  somewhat  suggestive 
of  such  a  name.  The  entire  system,  connecting  the 
different  wells  throughout  the  narrow  valley  and  in 
the  ravines  that  make  into  it,  requires  almost  a  mile 
in  length  of  this  telegraphing,  and  is  operated  by  an 
alternating  horizontal  motion  —  forward  perhaps 
twenty  inches,  and  back  the  same  —  which  keeps  in 
continuous  action  all  of  the  pumps  at  the  same  time. 


232  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

A  dirty,  greenish  stream  flows  forth,  and  is  borne  in 
troughs  to  large  wooden  reservoirs,  with  stop-cocks 
near  the  top  for  drawing  off  the  oil,  and  at  the  bot- 
tom for  discharging  the  water.  Nearly  all  the  labor 
required  is  in  running  the  engine  and  obtaining  fuel 
for  it,  boring  wells,  making  fixtures,  and  barrelling 
the  oil.  The  oil  is  brought  from  the  recesses  of  the 
earth,  separated  from  the  water,  and  conveyed  to  the 
barrellers  absolutely  without  manual  labor. 

A  good  idea  of  the  value  of  West  Virginia  oil 
property  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  these 
shallow  wells,  which  average  less  than  a  barrel  each 
per  day,  gave  a  clear  profit  of  more  than  fifty 
thousand  dollars  last  year,  to  the  proprietors. 

Another  well  has  been  struck  this  summer,  upon 
Oil  Run,  near  Petroleum,  which  has  been  estimated 
to  yield  forty  barrels  of  superior  lubricating  oil. 
This  run  is  a  branch  of  Goose  Creek,  a  favorit-e 
stream  with  petroleum  hunters — the  "goose"  that 
is  expected  to  lay  many  a  golden  egg.  Operators 
are  also  busy  upon  its  "  forks,"  Laurel,  Pigeon  Roost, 
Myers,  Ellis,  and  Big  Run,  and  oil  has  been  found  in 
several  instances. 

One  of  the  wonders  of  the  Hughes'  River  region, 
is  an  immense  deposit  of  asphaltum,  known  as  the 
Great  Vertical  Asphaltum  Lode,  situated  upon  both 
sides  of  McFarland's  Run,  a  tributary  of  the  South 
Fork  of  Hughes'  River.  This  solidified  rock  oil,  as 
it  seems  to  be,  lies  in  a  vertical  fissure  in  a  yellow 
sandstone  rock,  from  three  and  a  half  to  five  feet  in 
width,  divided  into  distinct  sections  by  an  irregular 
partition,  one  portion  fibrous,  the  other  granulated, 
and  both  free  from  foreign  admixture.  It  runs  in  a 


THE  VEETICAL  ASPHALTUM  LODE.     2& 

line  south  seventy-six  degrees  east,  and  is  traced\ 
upon  the  surface  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  hills  on 
either  side  of  the  Run  are  four  hundred  feet  high, 
and  this  seam  runs  through  them,  coming  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  surface  at  the  top. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  find  its  depth ;  a  shaft 
was  sunk,  from  the  bottom  of  the  Run,  nearly  forty 
feet,  when  operations  were  stopped  by  water  from 
the  hills.  Enough  has  been  seen  to  prove  the  unex- 
ampled abundance  of  this  strange  mineral. 

Several  chemists  have  tested  its  properties.  Some 
specimens,  upon  reduction  and  distillation,  have 
yielded  one  hundred  and  forty  gallons  of  petroleum 
per  ton ;  other  specimens  have  produced  larger  re- 
sults, in  one  case  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  gallons. 
A  calculation  has  been  made,  based  upon  mining 
one  hundred  tons  per  day,  at  ninety  dollars  per  ton, 
of  more  than  two  millions  of  dollars  profits  in  a  sin- 
gle year.  The  specific  gravity  of  this  oil  is  about 
30°  Beaume.  The  engineer  in  charge  estimates, 
without  reference  to  undiscovered  depths  of  asphal- 
tum,  or  underlying  basins  of  oil,  a  yield  of  at  least 
one  million  barrels  of  petroleum.  It  is  supposed  to 
result  from  the  evaporation  of  the  more  volatile  ele- 
ments of  petroleum,  which  has  been  thrown  up  by 
some  convulsion  of  nature,  at  the  same  time  that  the 
chasm  was  formed ;  and  that  pits,  in  immense  quan- 
tities, probably  exist  below.  There  are  others, 
acknowledging  the  nature  and  value  of  the  deposit, 
who  reject  the  probability  of  liquid  oil  beneath. 

A  railroad,  connecting  these  mines  with  Cairo 
Station,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  fourteen 
miles  long,  is  under  construction. 


23  i  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

Operations  were  commenced  on  Horseneck  Run 
of  Bull  Creek,  three  miles  from  the  Ohio  River,  and 
ten  miles  nearly  east  from  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  the 
autumn  of  1863.  The  point  selected  was  at  the  hend 
of  the  "neck,"  at  the  intersection  of  another  valley 
from  the  north,  from  which  the  lines  of  boring  terri- 
tory diverge  at  nearly  equal  angles.  The  hills  are 
high,  the  valley  narrow,  and  both  hill  and  valley  in 
a  state  of  nature,  excepting  only  such  improvements 
as  derricks,  tanks,  rough  offices  and  huts.  In  March 
of  1864,  at  little  more  than  two  hundred  feet  in 
depth,  near  the  centre  of  the  valley,  an  oil  basin  was 
pierced  which  deluged  the  whole  vicinity  with  its 
astonishing  flow.  All  the  labor  obtainable  was  put 
to  the  digging  of  pits  and  the  construction  of  dams, 
which  failed  to  contain  all  of  this  fugitive  wealth, 
by  which  others  were  enriched,  far  down  the  stream, 
through  similar  efforts.  Two  or  three  thousand  bar- 
rels were  estimated  as  the  first  day's  product.  After 
the  first  extraordinary  flow  had  subsided,  the  yield 
continued  for  a  time  steadily  at  three  hundred  bar- 
rels. Gradually  it  was  reduced  to  one  hundred  bar- 
rels; then  to  fifty;  and  in  April  last  it  was  still 
productive,  pumping  twelve  barrels  per  day.  The 
owners  of  the  well,  four  in  number,  who  leased  the 
land  at  a  royalty  of  one-eighth  of  the  oil,  sold  out 
their  interest  at  magnificent  figures  —  some  of  them 
soon  after  the  strike,  and  others  later — those  holding 
on  realizing  the  most  money.  The  owner  of  the 
land,  who  had  been  living  quietly  in  a  hut  near  by, 
after  pocketing  the  royalty  for  a  time,  sold  his  little 
farm  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  pur- 
chased fine  farms  in  Ohio  with  the  proceeds. 


THE   HOESENECK   WELLS.  235 

Other  wells  were  soon  in  operation,  clustered 
around  at  a  few  rods  apart,  and  all  were  productive, 
yielding  twenty,  forty,  and  sixty  barrels.  Two  were 
sunk  upon  the  side  of  the  hill,  as  an  experiment,  by 
Shriver,  Koonce  &  Co.,  and  both  were  good  wells; 
one  of  them  produced  sixty-five  barrels  daily  for  a 
time.  Among  the  companies  represented  here  are, 
the  Horseneck,  Eureka,  Bergen,  Calf  Creek,  and  E"ew 
York  and  Boston.  The  old  wells,  being  very  near 
each  other,  are  now  much  reduced  in  product,  and 
new  ones  are  being  bored,  scattered  along  towards 
the  head  of  the  run  for  the  distance  of  a  mile.  !N"ew 
and  old,  there  are  forty  on  Horseneck.  A  new 
strike,  which  promises  to  make  a  valuable  well,  has 
lately  occurred. 

Upon  Rawson's  Run,  which  enters  Horseneck  a 
few  hundred  yards  below  its  productive  wells,  were 
seventeen,  finished  and  unfinished,  in  April  last; 
and  seven  more  on  Rawson's  Fork,  below  the  junc- 
tion of  Horseneck.  Others  have  doubtless  been 
commenced  since.  The  most  noted  are  those  of 
the  Tack  Company,  which  were  for  a  time  very 
productive. 

Bull  Creek,  of  which  the  above  are  right-hand 
branches,  is  the  longest  stream  in  this  region,  with 
numerous  forks,  among  which  are  Isaac's,  Campbell's, 
and  Laurel.  On  each  of  these,  and  upon  the  main 
stream,  developments  are  in  progress.  Three  miles 
south  of  Horseueck,  on  a  fine,  broad  valley  of  Bull 
Creek,  are  three  wells,  one  of  them  the  Camden 
well,  four  hundred  feet  deep,  with  oil  flowing  from 
the  conductor,  though  the  well  is  untubed. 

At  this  point  Campbell's  Fork  comes  in,  affording 
rich  but  undeveloped  territory. 


236  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Laurel  Fork,  a  mile  higher,  midway  between  the 
Ohio  River  and  Oil  Run  of  Goose  Creek,  presents  a 
beautiful  reach  of  boring  territory,  with  unmistaka- 
ble oil  indications,  and  a  marked  exhibition  of  an 
anticlinal  axis.  Messrs.  Ford  and  Koonce,  owners 
of  the  lease,  have  commenced  boring. 

Between  Horseneck  and  the  Ohio  River,  the  line 
of  the  Burning  Springs  upheaval  crosses  Calf  Creek, 
Cow  Creek,  French  Creek,  and  one  or  two  other 
small  streams.  Calf  Creek  is  very  rich  in  indica- 
tions, and  is  being  pierced  at  all  points  for  oil.  A 
remarkable  evidence  of  upheaval,  worthy  of  a  visit 
from  the  Atlantic  coast  as  a  natural  curiosity,  is  seen 
upon  the  summit  of  the  ridge  dividing. this  from  the 
Horseneck  valley.  Immense  masses  of  limestone, 
honey-combed  as  if  by  chemical  action  in  the  depths 
below,  project  some  twenty  feet  above  the  surface, 
presenting  to  each  other  perpendicular  parallel  walls, 
with  chasms  intervening,  some  of  them  a  single  foot, 
others  several  feet  in  width.  The  regularity  of  out- 
line and  massiveness  of  this  solitary  group  of  pro- 
jecting rock,  are  striking  features  of  a  remarkable 
landscape. 

On  Cow  Creek,  a  well  owned  by  Jackson  &  Pedro, 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  Ohio  River,  recently 
flowed  a  large  quantity  of  oil  during  the  night  after 
the  vein  was  struck.  Several  barrels  were  gathered 
from  hollows  in  the  ground.  A  good  well  is  confi- 
dently expected. 

The  wells  of  this  Ohio  section  are  mostly  in  Plea- 
sants  County.  Middle  Island  Creek,  also  in  this 
county,  is  a  field  of  active  oil  operations,  in  which 
oil  has  already  been  found.  Its  precise  value  will  be 
determined  at  an  early  day. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE    CENTRAL   AND    NORTHERN    OIL   REGION. 

central  district  of  "West  Virginia  is  daily 
-L  becoming  better  known,  and  gaining  high  appre- 
ciation among  the  workers  in  oil.  Three  years  ago, 
while  gas  springs  and  oil  shows  were  common  in  this 
region,  few  people  at  home  imagined  it  possible  that 
oil  in  paying  quantities  could  exist  there,  and  nobody 
abroad  believed  in  oil  in  West  Virginia,  except  at 
Burning  Springs  in  Wirt  County,  or  possibly  in  a 
line  extended  north  and  south  of  that  point  —  the 
"line  of  the  great  upheaval."  That  illusion  is  now 
dispelled,  by  heavy  strikes  of  oil  in  numerous  locali- 
ties, east  and  west  of  that  line,  in  West  Virginia  and 
in  Ohio.  In  Ohio,  on  this  line,  but  mostly  west  of 
it,  paying  wells  are  numerous;  in  "West  Virginia, 
the  central  oil  territory,  though  comparatively  unde- 
veloped, with-  hundreds  of  wells  commenced,  or  in 
process  of  boring,  and  giving  abundant  proof  of 
oil,  embraces  a  broad  belt,  which  includes  many 
counties. 

Through  this  territory,  on  a  line  nearly  parallel 
with  the  upheaval  so  well  known  to  fame,  opera- 
tors are  tracing  another  oil  belt,  which  is  claimed 
to  exhibit  all  the  signs  of  abundant  deposits  beneath, 
except  the  violent  dislocation  of  the  surface  strata. 

(237) 


238  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

In  this  respect,  a  nearer  analogy  is  borne  to  the 
Venango  region  in  Pennsylvania  than  to  the  Burning 
Spring  territory.  A  striking  resemblance  to  Oil 
Creek,  in  configuration  of  surface,  is  noted  in  many 
localities  in  this  central  belt.  The  disruption  of  the 
regular  stratification,  it  is  assumed,  is  subterranean, 
not  reaching  the  superficial  and  visible  strata.  And 
yet  there  are  a  few  marked  evidences  of  surface  dis- 
turbance. 

The  Commissioner  of  Immigration,  who  resides  in 
Doddridge  County,  and  has  given  much  attention  to 
this  subject,  gives  his  views  as  follows* 

"  If,  as  conceded  by  science  and  confirmed  by  expe- 
perience,  gas  vents  and  burning  springs  are  indicative 
of  petroleum  in  the  rocks  below,  and  that  oil  can  only 
be  found  in  the  vertical  fissures  of  dislocated  strata,  then 
a  succession  of  these  phenomena  in  a  given  direction, 
above  the  surface,  may  be  regarded  as  a  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  a  pregnant  line  of  geological  disturbance 
below  it. 

"  The  indications  most  generally  consulted  in  pros- 
pecting for  petroleum,  are  the  dips  of  the  rocks,  oil 
springs,  gas  and  bubbles,  whether  inflammable  or  not, 
salt  and  sulphur  springs,  salt  licks,  and  alum  rock,  or  its 
crystallized"  exudations.  The  mineral  belt  lately  ex- 
plored exhibits  a  greater  abundance  and  intensity  of  the 
latter  indications  than  have  so  far  been  suspected  any- 
where between  the  lines  of  uplift  east  and  west  of  it. 

"  The  proximate  locality  of  its  axis  may  be  found  by 
tracing  a  line  north  from  ten  to  fifteen  degrees  east,  from 
the  great  gas  springs  below  the  mouth  of  Duck  Creek 
on  Elk  River,  to  the  heart  of  the  Pennsylvania  oil  re- 
gion in  Crawford  and  Yenango  Counties,  passing  the 
noted  Steer  Creek  and  Grass  Run  Burning  Springs  in 
Gilmer,  the  salt  spring,  sulphur  lick  and  alum  region  on 
branches  of  Little  Kanawha.  heading  in  Doddridge  and 
Lewis  counties,  the  burning  spring  on  McElroy,  and 
numerous  mineral  indications  on  Middle  Island  waters, 


CENTRAL    OIL    REGION".  239 

the  mineral  region  of  Fishing  Creek,  the  gas  wells  at 
Triadelphia,  near  Wheeling,  and  probably  at  other  points 
in  the  Panhandle  counties. 

"Although  upon  the  theory  advanced  above,  this  line 
may  be  regarded  as  one  of  strictly  subterraneous  dislo- 
cation, yet  it  exhibits,  so  far  as  explored,  at  least  two 
instances  of  notable  disturbances  above  the  surface. 
The  most  remarkable  of  these  is,  a  southeastern  dip  of 
about  fifteen  degrees  in  the  whole  visible  stratification 
of  a  spur,  or  point,  facing  and  shaping  in  its  apparent 
axis  a  very  acute  bend  in  the  creek,  beyond  which  the 
rocks,  though  much  fractured  by  vertical  rents,  appear 
in  their  undisturbed  horizontal  position.  Eight  at  the 
foot  of  this  break,  near  the  creek,  gas  bubbles  are  said 
to  rise  invariably  when  the  stream  gets  over  its  banks, 
and  though  I  did  not  happen  there  on  such  an  occasion, 
I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  statement.  In  comparing 
the  singular  geological  appearance  of  this  spot  with 
similar  ones  along  Elk  and  Little  Kanawha  Rivers, 
where  the  most  notable  gas  and  burning  springs  are  to 
be  found,  the  question  suggests  itself  to  me,  whether  the 
tortuousness  of  some  of  our  mountain  streams,  so  unac- 
countably capricious  in  places,  might  not  be  attributed 
to  other  causes  than  mere  accidents  of  surface  at  the 
time  when  the  running  waters  first  began  to  seek  their 
beds. 

"  While  the  topographical  conformation  of  our  terri- 
tory is  principally  the  result  of  gradual  abrasion,  and 
our  valleys  undeniably  eroded  by  running  waters,  yet 
may  not  some  of  those  short  angular  river  bends,  and 
perhaps  much  of  the  course  of  the  streams,  have  been 
predetermined  -by  rents  or  depressions  from  subterra- 
neous disturbance,  and,  therefore,  afford  a  profitable 
field  of  exploration  ?  From  several  remarkable  coin- 
cidences observed  by  me  thus  far,  I  am  convinced  the 
question  is  worthy  some  little  investigation." 

Among  the  more  noticeable  localities,  in  which, 
gas  and  oil  springs  and  other  indications,  have 
attracted  the  oil  speculator  and  well  borer,  may  be 
named  Steer  Creek,  a  prominent  southern  branch 


240  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

of  the  Little  Kanawha,  with  numerous  forks,  head- 
ing up  in  Braxton  County;  the  Elk,  and  its  many 
tributaries,  particularly  rich  in  Clay  and  Braxton ; 
Cedar  Creek,  of  Little  Kanawha,  and  its  branches ; 
the  headwaters  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  with  its  Oil 
Creek,  Salt  Lick,  Bryant's  Fork,  Noll's  Creek,  and 
other  small  streams ;  the  waters  of  Lewis  County, 
especially  some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  West  Fork 
of  the  Monongahela,  and  Leading  Creek,  a  promi- 
nent northern  branch  of  the  Little  Kanawha;  on  the 
streams  of  Gilmer  County ;  in  Doddridge  County,  the 
headwaters  of  Middle  Island  Creek,  Cabin  Run  of 
the  North  Fork  of  the  Hughes'  River,  and  other 
streams ;  and  further  north,  in  Tyler,  Wetzel,  and 
Marshall,  and  in  some  portions  of  the  Panhandle 
counties.  In  Hancock  County  well  boring  has  been 
vigorously  prosecuted,  and  oil  struck  in  one  well  at 
least. 

The  excitement  is  high  in  Wetzel  County.  Well 
boring  is  on  the  increase.  Fishing  Creek  is  begin- 
ning to  swarm  with  derricks  and  engines ;  and  indi- 
viduals and  companies  are  commencing  operations 
on  Proctor's  Creek. 

Operators  in  Tyler  County  are  busy,  and  some  of 
them  have  already  struck  oil.  The  excitement  is 
high ;  and  the  actual  value  of  the  territory  will  soon 
be  tested. 

Nor  is  the  search  for  oil  limited  easterly  to  this 
belt.  Nearer  the  Alleghany  range  it  has  been  not 
only  sought,  but  found ;  and  in  Monongalia,  adjoin- 
»ing  Fayette  and  Green  Counties  in  Pennsylvania, 
good  wells  have  been  reported  during  the  present 
season,  and  operations  have  been  active  and  exciting; 


CENTRAL    OIL   REGION.  241 

land  has  changed  hands  almost  as  generally  as  in 
"Wirt  or  Ritchie  County  in  certain  neighborhoods. 
The  adjoining  county,  Preston,  in  the  Cheat  River 
valley,  has  been  the  scene  of  active  prospecting  and 
purchasing,  and  the  expression  of  confident  expec- 
tations. As  an  instance  indicating  the  feeling  in 
this  section,  an  undeveloped  tract  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  wild  land,  which  a  few  years  since  was  sold 
for  five  hundred  dollars,  last  winter  brought  fifty- 
seven  thousand  dollars. 

This  interior  region  has  been  too  unsafe  for 
development  during  the  war,  so  far  as  regards  the 
country  south  of  the  Parkersburg  branch  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Railroad.  Except  in  a  very  few  local- 
ities, and  in  cases  in  which  the  parties  were  residents, 
no  actual  operations  have  been  commenced  until  re- 
cently. In  such  instances  the  drilling  has  generally 
been  by  hand,  with  a  spring  pole,  after  the  ancient 
manner  of  hominy  making,  and  the  domestic  method 
of  hulling  rice  —  the  elasticity  of  the  bent  pole  lift- 
ing the  drill. 

A  fine  strike  of  oil  is  reported  very  recently  on 
Grass  Run,  a  small  affluent  of  the  Little  Kanawha, 
in  Gilnier  County,  between  Cedar  and  Steer  Creeks, 
five  miles  from  De  Kalb.  It  was  bored  by  two  old 
men,  with  a  spring  pole ;  one  of  them  was  the  owner 
of  the  little  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  arid  had 
refused  all  offers  for  the  property,  preferring  not  "  to 
be  bothered  "  in  his  old  age  by  "  strange  people  "  on 
his  farm. 

A  strong  show  of  oil  is  reported  in  a  well  now 
being  bored  by  hand,  in  Doddridge  County,  on  the 
headwaters  of  Cabin  Run,  which  flow  into  the  North 
21 


242  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Fork  of  the  Hughes'  River.  The  oil  springs  of  Noll's 
Creek,  in  Braxton  County,  have  recently  been  satis- 
factorily tested. 

Wells  are  being  sunk  at  Dodson's  Run,  on  two 
branches  of  Arnold's  Creek,  near  Central  Station, 
and  also  at  Smithton  Station.  The  M'Intyre  Well 
of  the  Victoria  Petroleum  Company,  commenced 
"gasing"  at  thirty  feet. 

•  On  Lower  Camp  Run,  of  Elk  River,  ninety  miles 
from  its  mouth,  wells  have  been  commenced,  and 
high  expectations  of  success  are  entertained.  At 
Duffield's  Bend,  fifteen  miles  below  Rock  Camp 
Run,  parties  in  this  country,  in  France,  and  in  Cuba, 
have  associated  themselves  in  the  purchase  of  a 
tract  of  land,  with  reference  to  petroleum,  iron,  and 
coal  operations. 

An  oil  strike  has  occurred  in  Taylor  County,  at  the 
depth  of  three  hundred  feet.  At  Clarksburg,  in 
Harrison  County,  a  vein  of  oil  has  been  struck  at 
two  hundred  feet,  which  is  causing  a  great  excite- 
ment by  flowing  a  quantity  of  pure  oil.  Cultivated 
farms,  wild  lands,  and  gardens  in  town,  are  being 
leased  for  oil  purposes.  What  their  productive 
value  will  be,  the  future  can  only  unfold.  But  it  is 
morally  certain  that  wells,  in  great  numbers,  will  be 
sunk  in  every  portion  of  the  central  district,  during 
the  present  season  ;  and  the  result  may  surprise  the 
country,  and  intensify  the  general  desire  of  enter- 
prising men,  here  and  elsewhere,  to  add  to  their 
fortunes  from  the  overflowing  treasures  of  petroleum. 


CHAPTER   XXIY. 

THE   GREAT   KANAWHA   OIL   BASIN.  —  THE  VALLEYS  OF   THE 
GUYANDOTTE    AND    BIG    SANDY. 

MASON  County,  on  the  Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Great  Kanawha,  is  participating  in  the  petro- 
leum excitement.  Its  salt  has  long  been  a  valuable 
product ;  its  coal  fields,  identical  with  the  rich  and 
profitable  Pomeroy  deposits,  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  Ohio,  are  regarded  as  the  most  valuable  on 
the  river;  and  the  oil,  of  which  abundant  traces 
have  long  been  visible,  is  now  for  the  first  time 
claiming  attention  and  development.  Nor  has  the 
effort  been  vain  ;  oil  has  already  been  reached  by 
the  drill,  and  high  expectations  of  its  abundant  pre- 
sence are  generally  entertained. 

Oil  development  is  also  progressing  at  other  points 
on  the  same  side  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  with  highly 
favorable  indications.  The  region  of  the  Pocotalico 
exhibits  all  the  signs  of  oil,  and  shares  the  attentions 
of  capitalists  and  well  borers. 

The  Elk  Elver  and  Blue  Creek  region,  north  of 
Charleston,  is  very  promising.  Operations  have  been 
commenced,  and  success  already  attained ;  in  one 
instance  one  hundred  and  twenty  barrels  per  day 
were  reported  on  Blue  Creek,  when  the  well  was 
first  struck.  Unimproved  lauds,  formerly  held  at 

(243) 


244  •    WEST   VIEGINIA. 

two,  five,  or  ten  dollars  at  most,  command  from 
twenty-five  to  five  hundred.  In  one  instance,  for  a 
lease  of  a  tract  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  acres, 
at  a  royalty  of  one-fourth  of  the  oil,  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  has  been 
paid.  A  correspondent,  writing  from  that  region, 
refers  to  a  prediction  that  we  should  all  be  astonished 
at  the  changes  to  be  wrought  in  a  single  year,  and 
says,  "  but  I  little  thought  how  far  the  facts  would 
outrun  the  prediction.  Less  than  six  months  have 
elapsed  since  that  conversation,  and  I  can  scarcely 
believe  that  there  has  not  been  some  supernatural 
agency  at  work  to  accomplish  so  much  in  so  short  a 
time." 

At  the  present  writing  there  are  probably  sixty 
wells  in  process  of  drilling,  within  twenty-five  miles 
of  Charleston ;  and  in  a  few  months  this  may  seem 
a  meagre  statement  in  view  of  the  progress  then 
made. 

In  answer  to  inquiries  relative  to  the  experience 
of  Kanawha  salt  makers  with  petroleum,  Gen.  Lewis 
Ruffner,  who  has  been  for  thirty  years  engaged  in 
the  business  of  salt  making,  says  that  in  boring  the 
salt  wells  of  the  Kanawha  Salines,  a  few  miles  above 
Charleston,  oil  was  "in  most  cases"  obtained  at  a 
depth  of  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred 
feet.  The  oil  came  mingled  with  salt  water.  A 
well  on  his  premises,  two  and  a  half  miles  below  the 
Burning  Spring,  from  which  salt  was  made  thirty 
years  ago,  yielded  a  very  inconvenient  amount  of 
oil,  at  least  eight  or  ten  barrels  daily,  for  a  long 
time;  and  it  is  not  yet  entirely  exhausted.  The 
most  troublesome  issue  was  when  the  salt  water 


OIL   AT   THE    KANAWHA   SALINES.  245 

came  through  cavities  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  surface  —  at  which  time  the 
salt  water  flowed  into  the  "gum"  (a  hollow  syca- 
more sunk  to  the  rock  at  the  depth  of  the  river  bed), 
and  was  thence  brought  up  by  a  lifting  pump.  — 
These  supplies  were  temporary;  fresh  supplies  fol- 
lowed deeper  boring;  the  tubing  extended  below 
the  oil,  which  then  ceased  to  be  troublesome.  At 
the  depth  of  five  hundred  feet  it  was  usual  to  insert 
suction  pumps  into  the  rock.  In  many  of  these  wells, 
now  abandoned,  the  oil  continues  to  rise  in  small 
quantities  to  the  surface.  Experiments  are  now  in 
progress  for  applying  suction  to  the  cavities  supposed 
to  contain  the  oil. 

As  the  oil  invariably  passed  off  into  the  river,  it  is 
impossible  to  estimate  the  quantity  thus  lost  in  that 
vicinity.  Mr.  Ruffner  says  that  "  thousands  of  bar- 
rels" have  thus  passed  away;  and  gives  an  instance, 
which  he  cannot  vouch  for  from  personal  knowledge, 
of  a  casual  demand  for  forty  barrels,  which  was  sup- 
plied from  one  reservoir  in  a  single  day.  This  well 
was  but  one  fourth  of  a  mile  above  the  Burning 
Spring.  All  the  great  gas  wells  have  been  in  that 
immediate  vicinity,  through  which,  according  to 
Professor  Rogers,  an  anticlinal  axis  runs. 

Mr.  Ruffner  assumes,  from  observation  and  from 
inferences  drawn  from  the  geological  reconnoissance 
of  Professor  Rogers,  that  the  rocks  of  the  coal  mea- 
sures, between  Charleston  and  the  mountains,  are 
three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  thick,  fifteen  hun- 
dred of  which  lie  above  a  clay  stratum  of  an  esti- 
mated thickness  of  eight  hundred  feet,  known  to 
salt  miners  as  the  "long  running  rock,"  from  the 
21* 


246  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

length  of  time  that  a  chisel  may  be  used  in  it  with- 
out sharpening;  and  that  this  rock  is  reached  at  this 
point  at  about  nine  hundred  feet;  that  it  contains 
neither  coal  nor  salt  water;  but  that  salt  and  coal 
are  both  found  below  it,  some  twelve  hundred  feet 
before  reaching  the  sub-carboniferous  limestone. 
This  assumption  refers  only  to  that  portion  of  the 
coal  measures  east  of  Charleston,  "having  no  rela- 
tion to  the  newer  series  nearer  the  centre  of  the 
basin  on  the  Ohio  River." 

He  believes  fully  that  the  chief  source  of  the  gas 
and  oil  must  be  sought  beneath  that  "long  running 
rock;"  and  that  its  existence  in  the  porous  or  caver- 
nous upper  strata  hitherto  supplying  it,  is  accounted 
for  by  its  efforts  to  reach  the  surface,  impelled  by 
the  gas  below,  through  fractures  of  the  intervening 
strata.  As  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  theory,  he 
gives  a  single  instance  in  which  the  oil-bearing  rocks 
below  the  clay  stratum  have  been  reached.  A  well 
was  bored  eighteen  hundred  feet  below  the  bed  of 
the  river,  when  gas  was  struck,  and  for  a  time  oil 
and  salt  water  were  thrown  out.  When  it  ceased 
flowing  it  was  abandoned,  because  it  required  too 
long  a  suction-pump  to  raise  its  contents.  All  the 
great  gas  wells  were  reached  by  boring  to  this  "  long 
running  rock,"  or  (in  two  cases)  into  or  through  it; 
and  in  the  latter  cases  the  gas  was  accompanied  with 
oil.  The  only  well  now  furnishing  gas  for  fuel,  and 
which  has  continued  gas-producing  for  the  greatest 
length  of  time,  was  bored  at  least  to  that  rock. 
When  the  well  was  first  bored,  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  since,  gas  was  struck  in  very  large 
quantities,  which  threw  up  salt  water,  and  supplied 


OIL   AT   THE    KANAWHA   SALINES.  247 

fuel  for  its  evaporation.  After  flowing  for  a  few 
months,  it  suddenly  ceased.  Suction  was  applied  at 
the  depth  of  a  hundred  feet,  and  it  was  worked  by- 
steam  a  few  months  longer,  when,  as  suddenly  as  it 
ceased,  the  gas  commenced  again.  The  most  singu- 
lar feature  of  its  action  is,  that  while  no  oil  was  pro- 
duced in  the  first  evolution  of  gas,  or  in  the  second 
for  months  after  its  revival,  it  then  flowed  in  such 
quantities  as  to  cover  the  reservoir,  several  inches  if 
not  feet  in  depth,  as  avouched  by  the  manager  of 
the  works — and  was  allowed  to  run  off  into  the  river. 
As  much  was  saved  as  was  called  for  by  curiosity  or 
use.  This  well  continued  to  produce  gas,  oil  and 
salt  for  years,  gradually  diminishing  in  quantity. 
This  is  known  as  the  Dickinson  and  Shrewsbury 
well,  situated  nearly  opposite  the  Burning  Spring, 
which  it  eventually  tapped,  at  a  comparatively  recent 
date,  and  destroyed  its  issue  of  gas.  Its  history  is 
certainly  suggestive  to  intelligent  theorists  upon  the 
origin  of  rock  oil. 

The  following,  from  a  correspondent  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Commercial,  in  corroboration,  refers  to  some  of 
the  salt  wells  in  this  vicinity : 

"  Oil  was  usually  reached  at  a  depth  ranging  from 
two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet,  and  in  some 
wells  the  flow  of  gas  and  oil  was  in  such  large  quantities 
as  to  prove  very  '  troublesome'  and  '  annoying'  to  the 
operators.  On  Field's  Creek,  thirteen  miles  above,  on 
some  property  now  owned  by  Mr.  John  McConihay,  and 
on  which  he  now  resides,  a  well  for  salt  water  was  in 
process  of  being  bored,  in  April  of  1815,  and  when  at  a 
distance  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  from  the 
surface,  a  vein  of  oil  was  struck,  which  flowed  over  the 
top  of  the  'gum'  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  and  ran  down 
the  bank  like  a  branch,  spreading  half  way  across  the 


248  WEST    VIRGINIA. 

river  in  beautiful  iridiscent  colors,  -whence  it  continued 
to  flow  until  some  time  on  the  following  day,  when  they 
succeeded  in  tubing  it  out.  Mr.  McConihay,  from  whose 
lips  I  obtained  the  above,  is  a  gentleman  of  unquestion- 
able veracity  and  honor,  and  much  respected  by  his 
neighbors,  and  the  above  description  is  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  his  own  words.  He  was  assisting  at  boring 
at  the  time  the  oil  vein  was  tapped,  and  he  very  humor- 
ously detailed  the  actions  and  expressions  of  the  sup- 
posed 'ruined'  owner.  After  looking  at  the  changeable 
colors  of  the  oil  spread  out  upon  the  water,  for  a  little 
over  an  hour,  and  having  an  eye  to  the  useful  and  orna- 
mental, he  'tipped  the  wink'  to  another  young  work- 
man, when  they  got  their  rifles  and  went  away  to  hunt, 
leaving  the  '  old  man '  disconsolate  over  his  '  bad  luck.' 

"Many  other  well-borers  have  had  a  similar  experience, 
which  would  occupy  too  mr<-h  time  to  enumerate,  but 
it  would  be  safe  to  say  that,  out  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  wells  that  have  been  sunk  in  this  region,  two-thirds 
have  been  greatly  '  bothered '  with  oil.  In  many  of  the 
old  salt  wells  at  the  present  time,  petroleum  can  be 
dipped  out  in  quantities  of  half  a  barrel  and  upwards, 
whenever  the  river  is  low.  This  is  especially  the  case 
in  an  old  well  near  Eeynold's  Furnace,  owned  by  Mr. 
William  D.  Shrewsbury,  of  Maiden.  There  is  a  well  on 
the  Hurt  property,  which  was  notorious  for  its  yield  of 
oil;  hundreds  of  barrels  of  oil  were  run  into  the  river, 
and  until  it  was  tubed  out,  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
use  the  well  for  salt.  Oil  is  obtained  from  this  well  now 
by  pushing  down  a  cloth  plug  three  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  and  withdrawing  it  suddenly  —  oil  will  follow  the 
plug  to  the  extent  of  several  gallons  each  time.  The 
oil,  as  taken  out  of  the  wells,  is  used  by  the  miners  in 
the  coal  banks,  and  for  lubricating  their  machinery.  I 
have  examined  the  oil  of  several  of  the  wells,  and  find  it 
like  in  color  to  the  petroleum  of  Oil  Creek,  but  with  a 
much  less  pungent  odor.  In  testing  the  gravity,  I 
found  it  40°  Beaume. 

"A  ludicrous  story  is  told  of  a  citizen,  well  known  for 
his  positive  assertions,  bordering  on  profanity,  who,  on 
sinking  a  'gum.'  vowed  he  would  either  get  salt  water 
or  bore  to  '  Pandemonium.'  He  had  but  little  knowledge 
of  oil  or  gas,  and  after  going  down  a  certain  depth,  the 


PETROLEUM    LANDS. 


drill  was  violently  thrown  in  the  air,  followed  byi 
which,  by  some  means,  took  fire  and  exploded,  making 
the  man   believe  his  rash  vow  was  being  fulfilled,  and 
terrifying  him  almost  to  death.      This  occurrence  hap- 
pened right  back  of  this  city,  and  is  well  authenticated." 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Great  Kanawha  River, 
seven  miles  above  Charleston,  a  strike  is  reported 
on  the  property  of  the  Great  Kanawha  Oil  Company.  \ 

In  Cabell  County,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Kanawha,  well  boring  is  rife  —  on  the  Guyandotte 
River  (where  oil  has  lately  been  obtained),  Seven 
Mile,  Four  Pole,  and  Tom's  Creeks,  on  the  Porter 
Farm  near  Salt  Rock,  in  the  vicinity  of  Barbours- 
ville,  and  elsewhere.  A  large  proportion  of  these 
enterprises  are  just  commencing,  some  of  them 
obtaining  a  fair  show  of  oil  at  less  than  sixty  feet. 
The  Guyandotte  has  many  tributaries,  with  rich 
surface  indications,  and  abundant  proof  of  oil  in 
former  salt  wells,  and  will  certainly  be  prominent  as 
an  oil  field.  A  large  portion  of  the  land  in  this 
county  has  either  been  purchased  or  leased. 

The  territory  south  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  upon  \ 
the  net-work  of  streams  flowing  into  the  Guyandotte 
and  Big  Sandy  Rivers,  will  be  the  scene  of  much 
excitement  and  busy  labor,  in  the  immediate  future ; 
and  it  will  undoubtedly  be  found,  at  no  distant  day, 
very  productive  in  oil.  Almost  all  of  it  has  been 
under  the  complete  control  of  guerillas  until  very 
recently,  the  Union  men  either  driven  out  or  intimi- 
dated, and  all  enterprise  suppressed,  and  all  labor, 
except  for  the  production  of  supplies  for  the  most 
pressing  wants. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

PETROLEUM    COMPANIES   OP   WEST   VIRGINIA. 

IN"  exceptional  cases  a  well  is  bored  and  pumped 
by  an  individual.  The  almost  invariable  rule  is, 
the  establishment  of  a  partnership,  or  the  formation 
of  a  stock  company.  As  prices  advanced,  the  latter 
course  became  a  necessity.  As  in  Pennsylvania,  the 
practice,  of  doubtful  expediency,  has  obtained,  of 
giving  the  capital  stock  a  nominal  price,  and  selling 
it  to  original  stockholders  at  a  lower  rate.  The 
plausible  pretext  was,  that  good  oil  property,  when 
developed,  appreciated  so  greatly,  that  it  was  best  to 
fix  upon  a  fair  estimate  of  prospective  actual  value. 

The  stock  of  West  Virginia  companies  is  not 
based  upon  unreasonable  values.  There  may  be 
those  which  will  prove  unproductive,  but  the  failures 
will  probably  be  less  than  those  of  any  other  oil 
region. 

It  would  be  impossible  even  to  mention  them  all. 
New  ones  are  in  progress  of  organization ;  divisions 
of  the  property  of  old  ones  are  frequently  occurring ; 
the  names  of  many  are  not  published ;  it  is  therefore 
proposed  to  notice  a  few  owning  large  tracts  of  land, 
and  give  a  list  of  the  others,  as  far  as  opportunity  to 
note  their  existence  has  been  enjoyed. 

The  "Little  Kanawha  and  Elk  River  Petroleum 
and  Mining  Company,"  recently  organized,  with 

(250) 


PETROLEUM   COMPANIES.  251 

headquarters  at  New  York,  is  based  upon  sixty-two 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  valuable 
mineral  and  agricultural  lands,  situated  in  the  geo- 
graphical centre  of  West  Virginia,  upon  the  head- 
waters of  the  two  rivers  named,  in  the  immediate 
line  of  the  proposed  Central  Railroad,  already  char- 
tered, and  undoubtedly  soon  to  be  built.  Its  organ- 
ization is  as  follows : 

Oliver  E.  Wood,  President;  James  Cruikshank, 
Yice-President;  Charles  J.  Martin,  Treasurer;  James 
Wadsworth,  Secretary  ;  E.  R.  Blackwell,  Consulting 
Engineer  and  General  Superintendent.  Paul  N. 
Spoftbrd  (of  Spoftbrd,  Tileston,  &  Co.);  Charles  J. 
Martin,  President  Home  Insurance  Company  ;  Hon. 
Roger  Averill,  Danbury,  Connecticut ;  Hon.  Albert 
L.  Catlin,  Burlington,  Vermont ;  James  Cruikshank, 
55  Broadway;  Oliver  E.  Wood,  26  Barclay  Street; 
James  Wadsworth,  61  Cedar  Street  (of  James  Wads- 
worth  &  Co.) ;  John  W.  Strong,  Detroit,  Michigan ; 
Edward  M.  Morgan,  2  Pine  Street — Trustees. 

Among  the  stockholders  are  some  of  the  first 
business  men  in  New  York.  Arrangements  are  in 
progress  for  developing,  upon  an  extended  scale,  the 
varied  resources  of  these  lands,  which  are  situated 
in  Braxton  and  Gilmer  Counties,  forty  miles  from 
the  Burning  Springs  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  and 
seventy  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  Parkersburg. 
Practical  geologists  have  testified  to  the  high  value 
of  the  oil-producing  capabilities  of  this  tract.  Among 
its  minerals  are  cannel  and  other  coals,  iron  and 
salt ;  in  all  of  which  it  abounds.  Its  forests  are  of 
white  oak,  poplar  (white  wood),  black  walnut,  cherry, 
and  other  woods.  The  soil  is  of  excellent  quality  ; 


252  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

the  surface  less  mountainous  than  other  portions  of 
the  State ;  and  the  climate  healthful  as  that  of  any 
portion  of  any  other  State  in  the  country. 

Numerous  wagon  roads,  two  turnpikes,  navigation 
by  two  rivers  in  the  winter  season,  and  by  one  creek 
at  high  water,  furnish  facilities  for  getting  the  pro- 
ducts of  industry  to  market.  The  opening  of  the 
railroad,  connecting  the  Ohio  with  Charleston  and 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road,  will  give  instant 
enhancement  of  value,  and  high  prominence  as  a 
point  of  profitable  settlement,  to  these  lands.  The 
probable  construction  of  another  road,  down  the 
little  Kanawha  to  Parkersburg,  will  add  greatly  to 
these  values.  With  such  facilities  for  inter-commu- 
nication, the  central  position  of  Braxtoii  would  make 
it  a  formidable  rival  with  the  most  favored  section 
in  the  location  of  the  State  Capital. 

A  few  brief  points,  in  description  of  this  valuable 
tract,  will  illustrate  the  natural  wealth  of  the  central 
counties.  On  Otter  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Elk,  is  a 
tract  of  six  thousand  acres,  two  miles  in  width  at  the 
river,  seven  at  the  other  end,  and  nine  in  length. 
An  oil  spring  of  considerable  strength  is  reported 
near  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and  the  water  in  a  well 
near  by  is  too  greasy  in  summer  to  be  fit  for  house- 
hold use.  North  from  this  spring,  in  a  branch  over 
the  hill,  a  similar  spring  is  found.  Numerous  indi- 
cations of  oil  are  discovered  on  Rusk  Creek,  and  in 
other  valleys,  all  in  close  proximity  to  Elk  River, 
w^hich  furnishes  facilities  for  transportation  to  Charles- 
ton, on  the  Great  Kanawha.  In  the  valleys  of 
parallel  streams,  as  the  Sycamore,  Sugar,  and  Rock 
Camp  Creek,  gas  and  oil  are  abundant,  in  one  of 


fETKOLEUM   COMPANIES.  253 

•which,  the    emission   is  particularly   constant    and 
strong. 

Numerous  oil  springs  are  also  reported  on  Gran- 
nies' Creek,  and  old  Old  Woman's  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  main  tract  of  the  Little  Kanawha  and  Elk  River 
Company.  C.  S.  Richardson,  a  mining  engineer, 
who  knows  this  county  well,  writes  thus : 

"  We  now  make  our  way  up  towards  Bulltown,  dis- 
tant seventeen  miles,  and  pass  through  many  promising 
locations  for  oil  wells.  Gas  springs  abound,  and  so 
strong  is  the  pressure  at  times  in  some  of  them,  that  it 
creates  a  noise  under  ground,  the  people  say,  resembling 
the  rumbling  sound  of  a  wagon  over  a  rough  country 
road.  This  can  easily  be  accounted  for.  When  the 
summer  season  sets  in  the  creeks  and  branches  become 
dry,  and  the  fissures  and  joints  of  the  rocks,  which  in 
winter  are  filled  with  water,  become  drained  and  form 
vacuities.  The  noise  of  the  gas  as  it  bubbles  up  through 
the  water  in  the  lower  depths  of  these  fissures,  produces 
an  echo,  resounding  through  these  cavernous  spaces ; 
hence  the  rumbling  sound  spoken  of.  A  few  winters 
ago,  an  outburst  of  gas,  very  singular  in  its  results, 
happened  in  the  river  while  it  was  frozen  over.  An  air 
hole  had  been  noticed  in  the  river  for  some  time,  but 
one  morning  a  large  column  of  water,  mud,  coal,  shale, 
and  oil  was  thrown  up  several  feet  in  the  air,  and  covered 
the  surrounding  sheet  of  ice  for  yards.  This  spot  was 
about  opposite,  and  thus  in  a  line  with  Otter  Creek 
Springs,  and  no  doubt  belongs  to  the  same  group  of 
cleavages." 

Salt  Lick  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Little  Kana- 
wha,  courses  along  the  northeastern  boundary, 
exhibiting  evidences  of  gas  and  petroleum.  Its 
brine  is  so  strong  that  salt  can  be  obtained  by  evapor- 
ation in  kettles;  and  was  thus  manufactured  by  the 
Indians.  In  Cowpens  Run  and  Duck  Run,  the  hills 
are  much  denuded,  great  slides  have  occurred,  shale 

22 


254:  WEST   VIKGINIA. 

beds  occur,  evidences  of  a  gread  subsidence  are  seen, 
and  the  surface  shows  much  disturbance  of  the  strata. 
Steer  Creek  is  somewhat  noted  for  two  gas  springs, 
which  are  claimed  to  equal  any  in  West  Virginia. 
One  of  the  main  branches  of  this  creek  traverses  the 
company's  property  for  miles. 

A  six-foot  vein  of  coal  passes  under  the  mountain, 
ridge  through  the  estate.  The  seam  is  pure  coal, 
free  from  sulphur,  and  highly  bituminous,  making 
superior  gas  and  fine  coke.  A  practical  engineer, 
making  a  survey  of  it,  found  the  seam  considerably 
to  exceed  six  feet  in  some  cases,  and  in  one  to  fall 
short  of  it.  Another  seam  exists  higher  up  the 
mountain. 

The  iron  ore  is  a  brownish  oxide,  yielding  thirty- 
three  per  cent.  It  is  abundant  and  easily  mined. 
No  iron  works  are  yet  in  existence.  An  argillaceous 
limestone  is  found  on  the  elevated  ridges  sufficient 
for  all  the  requirements  of  iron  furnaces. 

The  capital  stock  of  this  company  is  six  millions. 
The  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
is  reserved  in  its  treasury  for  the  development  of 
these  magnificent  resources.  "With  all  the  specu- 
lation, not  to  say  swindling,  charged  upon  oil  com- 
panies—  and  justly  charged,  it  may  be,  in  some 
cases  —  who  will  say  that  the  actual  price  of  stock, 
representing  such  land  at  less  than  ten  dollars  per 
acre,  is  too  high  ?  Or  that  even  the  nominal  value 
of  the  stock,  at  eight  dollars  for  one,  may  not  be  far 
more  than  realized  ?  The  best  lands  of  the  Sciota 
and  Miami  Valleys,  are  held  to  be  cheap  at  one 
hundred  dollars  per  acre.  Are  not  lands  fat  with 
oil,  abounding  in  coal  and  iron,  covered  with  fine 


PETEOLEUM   COMPANIES.  255 

timber,  and  with  a  fruitful  soil,  worth  at  least  as 
much  ? 

Another  organization,  embracing  a  large  territory, 
and  involving  heavy  operations,  is  the  Virginia  and 
Ohio  Mining  and  Petroleum  Company,  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  developing  upon  a  grand  scale  the 
real  capabilities  of  this  region.  Its  lands  lie  in  the 
centre  of  the  "West  Virginia  oil  basin,  and  embrace 
no  less  than  sixty-seven  different  tracts,  varying  in 
size  from  two  acres  to  six  hundred,  and  making  an 
aggregate  of  seven  thousand  acres. 

It  is  becoming  common  for  shrewd,  practical  men, 
who  are  experienced  in  oil  production,  to  leave  the 
high-priced  lands  of  Pennsylvania,  where  one  great 
success  has  gone  in  company  with  several  failures, 
and  select  lands  as  yet  undeveloped,  but  possessing 
acknowledged  value  as  oil  territory,  where  almost 
every  well  that  has  been  drilled  in  the  past  has  been 
oil  producing.  They  have  purchased,  entered  and 
improved  them  wisely,  with  every  prospect  of  reach- 
ing results  worthy  of  their  efforts.  This  is  one  of 
the  working  companies. 

It  was  organized  under  the  laws  of  New  York  — 
its  capital  stock  one  million  dollars  —  one  hundred 
thousand  shares  at  ten  dollars  each. 

Its  officers  are  as  follows :  President,  Bradhurst 
Schieff'elm  (of  SchiefFelin,  Brothers  &  Company); 
Treasurer,  William  E.  Rider  (of  Rider  &  Clark); 
Mining  Superintendent,  Charles  D'Hervilly.  Offices, 
51  Broad  Street,  New  York ;  98  Water  Street,  Pitts- 
burg  ;  and  21  Front  Street,  Marietta. 

These  lands  are  located  in  the  heart  of  the  petro- 
leum region,  within  a  radius  of  about  thirty  miles 


256  WEST   VIEGINIA. 

from  Marietta,  Ohio,  on  the  various  creeks  and  runs 
flowing  into  the  Ohio  River ;  in  Washington,  Perry, 
Noble,  and  Morgan  Counties,  in  Ohio,  upon  a  dozen 
different  creeks ;  and  in  "Wood,  Pleasant,  Ritchie,  and 
"Wetzel  Counties,  in  "West  Virginia;  on  Bull  and 
Fishing  Creeks,  Laurel  Fork,  "Wellington,  Still  well, 
Bull,  and  Big  Runs.  They  were  selected  with  care, 
in  advance  of  the  great  influx  of  petroleum  seekers 
in  this  region,  by  the  Mining  Superintendent  of  the 
Company,  Mr.  D'Hervilly,  a  gentleman  of  much  ex- 
perience in  locating  and  working  oil  lands. 

The  petroleum  from  this  section  being  about  40° 
Beaume  gravity,  and  very  free  from  sediment,  is 
much  sought  after  by  refiners,  and  readily  commands, 
it  is  claimed,  about  two  cents  per  gallon  more  than 
that  from  Oil  Creek.  In  addition  to  the  light  oils 
used  for  refining,  a  heavy  oil  of  about  28°  to  30° 
Beaume  is  found  at  the  depth  of  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet,  unequalled  as  a  lubricator,  and  used  ex- 
tensively on  railroads,  steamboats  and  stationary 
engines,  and  sought  for  beyond  the  limit  of  present 
production.  This  oil  readily  commands,  at  the  pre- 
sent writing,  twenty  dollars  per  barrel  at  the  wells — 
a  price  double  that  of  the  lighter  oils. 

Scores  of  derricks  have  been  erected,  preliminary 
to  boring ;  many  wells  are  being  bored,  in  most  of 
which  are  indications  of  oil ;  several  are  completed 
and  working.  The  company  owns  numerous  steam 
engines,  many  sets  of  boring  and  other  tools,  tanks, 
etc.  The  wells  now  finished  will  alone  pay  a  fair 
dividend  on  the  amount  of  stock  issued. 

The  "West  Virginia  properties,  in  the  heart  of  the 
most  successful  oil  producing  region,  and  in  the 


PETROLEUM   COMPANIES.  257 

vicinity  of  some  of  the  most  productive  wells,  make 
an  aggregate  area  of  nearly  two  thousand  acres,  of 
which  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  are  on 
Laurel  Fork,  Wellington  Run  —  four  hundred  acres 
on  Bull  Creek  —  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  on 
Stillwell  Run,  forty  acres  on  Big  Run,  and  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  on  Fishing  Creek. 

The  Company  holds  fifty  thousand  shares  of  its 
capital  stock,  the  proceeds  of  which  are  to  be  used 
in  developing  the  property.  If  all  shall  not  be 
wanted  for  that  purpose,  the  remainder  will  be 
divided  pro  rata  among  the  stockholders. 

A  limited  number  of  these  shares  has  been  sold, 
for  this  purpose,  at  five  dollars  —  par  value  ten  dol- 
lars —  and  will  be. 

The  Vesta  Petroleum  and  Refining  Company,  in- 
corporated under  the  laws  of  New  York,  has  the 
two-fold  object  of  developing  and  refining  petroleum. 
Its  organization  is  as  follows :  John  H.  Ilebert, 
President ;  John  Caldwell,  Secretary ;  John  H.  He- 
bert,  Louis  Dagron,  James  M.  Leavitt,  George  W. 
Randall,  James  C.  Daniels,  Henry  B.  Hebert,  Trus- 
tees. Office,  4  Cedar  Street,  New  York. 

Their  property  consists  of  the  undivided  half  of 
nine  hundred. and  twenty  acres,  in  Ritchie  County, 
lying  between  Petroleum  Station  and  the  junction 
of  the  forks  of  Hughes'  River,  on  the  waters  of 
Buffalo  Creek.  They  also  own  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  on  Pithole  Creek,  in  Venango  County, 
Pennsylvania,  three  miles  east  from  Oil  Creek,  and 
seven  miles  southeast  from  the  railroad  depot  at 
Titusville. 

The  operations  of  this  company  are  not  specula- 

22* 


WEST   VIRGINIA. 

tive,  but  practical.  Energetic,  prompt  measures  for 
development  were  initiated  at  once  upon  its  organiz- 
ation. In  addition  to  the  wells  in  progress  in  Penn- 
sylvania (five  or  more),  there  were  in  progress,  on 
the  tenth  of  June,  in  the  West  Virginia  division,  the 
following  wells :  the  Bickel  Well,  down  six  hundred 
feet,  with  a  good  show  of  oil  and  gas ;  the  Broom 
Well,  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  with  similar  indi- 
cations; the  Patterson  Well,  seventy-five  feet;  and 
another  just  started  on  the  "Plowman  Lease."  The 
writer,  in  his  last  visit  to  West  Virginia,  saw  the 
Bickel  Well  just  after  it  had  struck  oil,  when  the 
indications  seemed  very  favorable,  exciting  great 
expectations.  Gas,  water,  oil,  and  fragments  of  rock, 
were  blown  out  with  great  violence. 

This  locality  is  on  a  line  direct  with  the  Burning 
Springs,  Oil  Run,  and  Horseneck  Wells,  in  the 
centre  of  the  famous  "Oil  Belt,"  hitherto  so  popular 
and  so  productive. 

The  Hughes'  River  Petroleum  Trust  Association 
owns,  in  fee  simple,  a  tract  of  six  hundred  acres  of 
valuable  oil  lands,  lying  on  the  South  Fork  of 
Hughes'  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Spruce  Creek, 
in  Ritchie  County.  It  lies  within  three  miles  of  the 
celebrated  Gas  Springs,  six  or  eight  miles  from  the 
great  asphaltum  deposit  on  McFarland's  Run,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Burning  Spring,  and  a  short 
distance  from  the  old  sand  diggings,  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  forks  of  the  Hughes'.  It  is  in  a 
direct  line  with  the  upheaval  of  shale,  among  the 
fissures  of  which  crude  asphaltum  is  found  in  im- 
mense quantities. 

This  site  early  attracted  the  attention  of  oil  opera- 


PETROLEUM    COMPANIES.  259 

tors.  In  1861  preparations  were  made  for  sinking 
wells  in  the  vicinity,  but  discontinued  during  the 
war,  which  has  made  oil  developments  impracticable 
until  the  present  season.  It  is  certain  that  petro- 
leum abounds  here,  probably  in  immense  quantities. 

The  tract  is  remarkable  for  the  extent  of  its  ravines 
and  bottoms  suitable  for  boring,  in  which  also,  at 
many  points,  gas  springs  and  surface  oil  shows  occur. 
More  than  a  mile  and  a  half  of  river  frontage,  and 
almost  as  great  a  length  of  creek  bottoms,  afford 
numerous  sites  for  wells,  some  of  which  have  attracted 
the  marked  attention  of  those  versed  in  the  lore  and 
labors  of  petroleum. 

Three  hundred  acres  of  the  tract  have  been  in 
cultivation ;  four  houses  and  a  barn  are  among  the 
improvements ;  the  remainder  is  covered  with  a 
heavy  growth  of  oaks,  ash,  hickory,  black  and  white 
walnut,  sugar  maple,  whitewood,  and  chestnut. 

In  this  region  a  confidence  is  felt  that  a  great  oil, 
deposit  exists  beneath  the  "asphaltum  lode."  Mr. 
Stovin,  mining  engineer  of  that  property,  reports  a 
discovery  of  bitumen,  more  remarkable  than  the 
original,  which  he  says  "  puts  at  rest  forever  any 
doubt  that  could  have  existed  as  to  its  having  been 
liquid." 

Hon.  Amos  Myers,  of  the  Twentieth  (Yenango) 
Congressional  District,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  whose 
advice  the  tract  was  purchased,  has  recently  visited 
it,  and  thus  writes  of  its  capabilities : 

"It  is  the  best  looking  land  for  both  farming  and  oil 
purposes,  as  well  as  for  a  town,  that  I  have  seen,  and  an 
old  citizen  say  it  is  the  best  on  the  South  Hughes'  River. 
The  soil  is  equal  to  prairie,  and  that  too  on  the  hills, 
and  every  tree  is  a  giant  of  its  kind.  The  bluffs,  the 


260  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

bottoms;  the  rocks,  ravines,  and  breaks;  the  timber, 
oil,  and  springs  —  all  indicate  oil.  This  is  my  honest, 
candid  opinion.  I  could  not,  if  I  desired,  resist  the 
conviction." 

The  capital  stock  of  the  association  is  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  in  twenty  thousand  shares,  at  five 
dollars  each,  and  the  officers  are  the  following  well 
known  and  reliable  residents  of  Washington,  where 
most  of  the  stock  is  owned.  Trustees,  James  C. 
Lewis,  Edward  Young,  William  Stickney;  Treasurer, 
J.  C.  Lewis;  Secretary,  M.  L.  Story;  Advisory  Com- 
mittee, Francis  Jordan  (Penn.  Military  Agent),  John 
S.  Poler,  J.  E.  Forbush,  Martin  King,  W.  S.  Bailey. 

Incorporated  companies  and  private  partnerships, 
in  multiplied  forms,  involving  interests  of  varied 
magnitude,  exist  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  upon  a 
basis  of  West  Virginia  oil  property.  So  far  as  those 
interested  have  responded  to  calls  for  information, 
or  kept  their  organization  or  operations  before  the 
public,  they  are  brought  here  to  view ;  yet  this 
must  not  be  considered  a  complete  exhibit  of  the 
organized  capital  and  labor  engaged  in  the  petroleum 
business  of  the  State.  New  companies  or  partner- 
ships are  daily  organized,  and  new  and  promising 
fields  of  labor  daily  explored.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  Philadelphia  companies,  so  far  as  their  names 
have  been  obtained : 

Blair  Oil  Company;  capital,  $1,000,000;  $5  per 
share.  Office,  305  Chestnut  Street. 

Blue  Creek  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $500,000 ;  $10 
per  share.  407  Walnut  Street. 

Bull  Creek  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $1,000, 000 ;  $10 
per  share.  309  Walnut  Street. 


PHILADELPHIA    OIL    COMPANIES.  261 

Burning  Spring  Oil  Company;  capital  $1,000,000; 
per  share.  113  Chestnut  Street. 

Burning  Spring  and  Goose  Creek  Oil  Company ; 
capital,  $125,000 ;  $1  per  share.  311  Walnut  Street. 

Buck  Eun  Oil  Company;  capital,  $150,000;  $1 
per  share.  201  Callowhill  Street. 

Calf  Creek  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $1,000.000 ;  $10 
per.  share.  240  North  Front  Street. 

Clouston  Oil" Company;  capital,  $200,000;  $3  per 
share.  407  Walnut  Street. 

Cow  Creek  and  Stillwell  Run  Oil  Company ;  capi- 
tal, $500,000 ;  $5  per  share. 

Cow  Creek  Oil  Company.     221  South  Fifth  Street. 

Eureka  Oil  Company;  capital,  $1,000,000;  $10 
per  share. 

Elk  River  Oil  Company.     208  South  Fourth  Street. 

Elk  River  and  Blue  Creek  Oil  Company ;  capital, 
$1,000,000;  $10  per  share.  Merchants'  Exchange 
Building. 

Fee  Simple  Petroleum  Company.  150  Front 
Street. 

Ferguson  Oil  Company.     417  Walnut  Street. 

Government  Oil  and  Mining  Company;  capital, 
$200,000  ;  $1  per  share. 

Horseneck  Oil  Company;  capital,  $500,000;  $50 
per  share. 

Horseneck  and  Burning  Spring  Oil  Company ; 
capital,  $500,000 ;  $5  per  share.  424  Walnut  Street. 

Hughes'  River  Oil  Company.     605  Walnut  Street. 

Imperial  Kanawha  Valley  Oil  Company ;  capital, 
$600,000;  $10  per  share. 

Kanawha  and  Hughes'  River  Oil  Company ;  capi- 
tal, $1,000,000;  $10  per  share.  208  South  Fourth 
Street. 


262  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

Kanawha  and  Riffles  Run  Oil  Company ;  capital, 
$250,000 ;  $2.50  per  share. 

Kanawha  River  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $375,000  ; 
$10  per  share.  112  South  Fourth  Street. 

Kanawha  and  Ohio  Oil  Company.  424  Walnut 
Street. 

Kauawha  Valley  Oil  Company.    108  Walnut  Street. 

Lick  Run  Oil  Company;  capital,  $100,000;  $2 
per  share. 

Little  Kanawha  and  Bridge  Run  Oil  Company  ; 
capital,  $250,000 ;  $1  per  share.  383  Walnut  Street. 

Little  Kanawha  and  Spring  Creek  Oil  Company ; 
capital,  $250,000 ;  $1  per  share. 

Lynn  Camp  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $500,000  ;  $10 
per  share.  228  South  Third  Street. 

Logan  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $500,000 ;  $10  per 
share.  309  Walnut  Street. 

Mutual  Oil  Company.     332  Walnut  Street. 

Mutual  and  Beneficial  Mining  Company.  274 
South  Third  Street- 
North  Fork  of  Hughes'  River  Oil  and  Mining 
Company. 

Mount  Farm  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $750,000 ;  $5 
per  share. 

Old  Burning  Springs  Oil  Company;  capital, 
$1,000,000 ;  $10  per  share. 

Rathbone  Oil  Company;  capital,  $500,000;  $5 
per  share.  206  South  Fourth  Street. 

Rock  Run  Oil  and  Mining  Company.  108  South 
Fourth  Street. 

Reedy  Creek  Oil  Company.  112  South  Fourth 
Street. 

Standing  Stone  Creek  Oil  Company.  233  South 
Third  Street. 


NEW   YORK   OIL    COMPANIES.  263 

Tack  Oil  Company.     215  Walnut  Street. 

Victor  Mutual  Petroleum  Company.  429  Chest- 
nut Street. 

Volcanic  Oil  and  Coal  Company;  capital, $1,000,000; 
$10  per  share.  417  Walnut  Street. 

Vulcan  Oil  and  Mining  Company ;  capital,  $200,000 ; 
$1  per  share.  417  Walnut  Street. 

West  Virginia  and  Ohio  Oil  Company.  206  Wal- 
nut Street. 

West  Virginia  Oil  Company.     411  Walnut  Street. 

West  Virginia  National  Petroleum  Company.  5| 
South  Sixth  Street. 

Wetzel  County  Oil  Company.     309  Walnut  Street. 

Wirt  County  Oil  Company. 

The  following  companies  have  their  headquarters 
in  New  York  City : 

Bergen  Coal  and  Oil  Company;  capital,  $2,000,000 ; 
$10  per  share.  Office,  416  Broad  Street. 

Big  Sand  Creek  Oil  Company.     13  Broad  Street. 

Burning  Spring  Oil  Company. 

Chemical  Oil  Company;  capital,  $250,000;  $5 
per  share. 

Dutchman's  Run  Oil  Company;  capital,  $1,000,000; 
$10  per  share.  71  Broadway. 

Great  Kanawha  Oil  Company;  capital,  $300,000; 
per  share. 

Hancock  Oil  Company. 

Kanawha  Petroleum  Company ;  capital,  $500,000 ; 
per  share.  154  Front  Street. 

Leading  Petroleum  Company;  capital,  $500,000; 
$5  per  share.  80  Broadway. 

New  York  and  Boston  Petroleum  Company.  1 1 
Wall  Street. 


264  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

New  York  and  "West  Virginia  Petroleum  Com- 
pany; capital,  $500,000;  $5  per  snare.  137  Broad 
Street. 

New  "World  Petroleum  Company ;  capital,$500,000 ; 
$10  per  share.  155  Maiden  Lane. 

North  American  Petroleum  Company ;  capital, 
$1,250,000;  $10  per  share.  73  Broadway. 

Old  Dominion  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $500,000 ; 
$10  per  share. 

People's  Mutual  Oil  and  Mining  Company.  6 
Wall  Street. 

Kathbone  Oil  Tract  Company.     69  Wall  Street. 

Ritchie  County  Oil  Company;  capital,  $800,000; 
$5  per  share. 

Second  National  Oil  Company ;  capital,  $500,000  ; 
$10  per  share. 

Tack  Oil  Company;  capital,  $500,000;  $10  per 
share. 

Vesuvius  Oil  Company. 

Virginia  Oil  Company  ;  capital,  $500,000. 

West  Virginia  Coal  and  Oil  Company;  capital, 
$3,000,000 ;  $10  per  share. 

Many  other  companies  are  located  in  Pittshurg, 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  and  other  places  beyond  the 
limits  of  West  Virginia ;  while  still  others  have 
offices  in  Wheeling,  Parkersburg,  and  other  points 
within  the  State.  The  enumeration  already  made 
will  suffice  to  show  the  prevalence  and  comparative 
extent  of  the  petroleum  excitement,  as  it  existed 
earl}7  in  the  present  season.  A  temporary  lull  suc- 
ceeded, followed  by  renewed  activity,  which  pro- 
mises to  embrace  the  central  and  southern  portions 
of  the  State  in  its  operations. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

PETROLEUM    PROSPECTS. 

^  TTTILL  the  oil  product  of  the  country  decrease?" 
is  the  anxious  inquiry  of  interested  parties. 
So  far  as  West  Virginia  is  concerned,  it  may  safely 
be  asserted,  that  this  species  of  mining  is  in  its  in- 
fancy. To  persons  unacquainted  with  the  peculi- 
arities of  the  business,  the  assumed  decrease  in 
production,  during  the  past  winter  and  spring,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  some  extent  in  West  Virginia, 
has  given  color  to  such  a  view.  There  is  little  real 
ground  for  such  an  assumption.  While  a  given  well 
may  reasonably  be  expected  to  suffer  partial  exhaust- 
ion in  a  few  years,  and  in  some  instances  in  a  few 
months,  that  single  well  usually  drains  but  a  small 
space  —  a  cavity,  imperfectly  connected  with  others 
by  fissures  liable  to  obstruction  —  or  a  single  crevice, 
possibly  extending  a  long  distance,  but  entirely  un- 
connected with  another  parallel  to  it  and  a  few  feet 
from  it.  Wells  may  therefore  be  increased  indef- 
initely, and  if  the  sources  of  supply  in  some  of  them 
shall  be  tapped  by  others,  there  will  be  many  still  to 
yield  a'  handsome  return. 

The  production  has  been  sensibly  diminished  by 
the  speculative  operations  of  the  past  year.  Pro- 
ductive lands  were  sold,  once  or  twice,  perhaps  many 
times,  causing  a  cessation  of  drilling,  tubing,  and 

23  (265) 


266  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

even  of  pumping  finished  wells ;  while  companies 
were  organized,  stocks  sold,  and  new  machinery- 
placed  upon  the  ground  and  put  in  operation.  Many 
of  these  companies  have  remained  inactive  for 
months,  and  some  may  never  commence  develop- 
ment. The  business  of  making  and  selling  stocks  is 
one  thing;  that  of  drilling  wells  and  pumping  oil 
quite  another.  The  excessive  multiplication  of 
companies  may  eventually  favor  increased  produc- 
tion ;  but  their  immediate  effect  was  the  reverse. 

Immense  damage  has  been  occasioned,  in  districts 
where  wells  are  most  numerous,  by  carelessness  in 
tubing  off  the  surface  water,  by  defective  seed-bags 
or  their  improper  location,  or  negligence  in  leaving 
open  abandoned  wells.  By  such  means  the  oil 
reservoirs  have  been  flooded,  and  the  oil  driven  back 
to  higher  levels,  whence  it  cannot  force  its  way 
through  accustomed  avenues  to  the  well.  Early 
in  the  spring  of  the  present  year,  a  disastrous 
flood  occurred  in  the  most  productive  localities  in 
Pennsylvania,  which  demonstrated  conclusively  the 
fatality  of  this  faulty  and  negligent  practice.  That 
"haste  makes  waste"  was  again  proven  to  the  sorrow 
of  luckless  wights  impatient  to  be  rich.  An  almost 
total  cessation  of  oil  production  followed  in  the 
flooded  districts,  particularly  on  Oil  Creek;  but  an 
immense  increase  on  Pithole  Creek  gave  evidence, 
as  believed  by  operators,  that  the  oil  had  been  driven 
outwards  in  that  direction.  Persistent  and  long- 
continued  pumping  was  at  length  rewarded  by  the 
return  of  oil,  at  first  much  diluted  with  water,  yet 
improving  as  the  superabundant  water  was  with- 
drawn. 


PETKOLEUM    PROSPECTS.  267 

The  natural  effect  of  these  causes,  joined  with  the 
reduction  in  the  price  of  gold  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
was  a  panic  among  holders  of  oil  stock,  many  of 
whom  had  bought  with  as  little  discretion  as  they 
now  manifested  in  selling.  Wise  capitalists  held 
what  they  knew  to  be  valuable,  and  some  took  occa- 
sion to  buy  more  stock  and  territory.  The  panic 
affected  shares  far  more  than  lands.  The  best  loca- 
tions were  held  with  almost  as  firm  a  grasp  as  ever; 
and  the  price  actually  advanced  in  portions  of  West 
Virginia  which  had  but  just  before  been  practically 
inaccessible.  Prices  are  still  advancing  in  such 
localities.  Development  is  talked  of,  in  a  few  in- 
stances commenced;  and  when  oil  shall  be  found, 
as  it  doubtless  will  be,  a  new  circle  of  excitement 
will  be  opened  to  the  votaries  of  oil. 

Among  the  many  companies  based  upon  West  Vir- 
ginia lands,  it  is  possible  that  some  may  prove  worth- 
less. Where  millions  awaited  the  efforts  of  judicious 
enterprise,  it  would  be  strange  if  dishonesty  had 
neglected  so  favorable  an  opportunity;  yet  the 
investments  made  have  proved  singularly  satisfac- 
tory, and  few  charges  of  swindling  or  misrepresen- 
tation are  preferred. 

The  conviction  in  intelligent  minds  is  strong  that 
a  brilliant  future  awaits  the  continued  prosecution 
of  the  business.  The  existence  of  oil  in  large  quan- 
tities is  demonstrated;  equal  evidence  proves  the 
supply  to  be  widely  diffused ;  and  practical  results 
affirm  the  necessity  of  energetic  and  well  directed 
efforts,  except  in  isolated  cases,  to  insure  large  and 
enduring  success.  While  the  profits  are  often 
greater,  in  proportion  to  expenditure  of  money  or 


268  WEST   VIRGINIA. 

labor,  than  in  gold  or  silver  mining,  the  same  energy 
and  experience  required  in  such  enterprises  are 
equally  requisite  and  certain  of  adequate  remuner- 
ation. The  fall  of  gold  affected  the  price  of  the 
product  less  than  most  other  articles  of  export ;  the 
increase  in  demand  and  diminution  of  supply  served 
to  sustain  its  price  in  an  appreciated  currency.  There 
need  be  no  fear  of  low  prices,  while  a  multitude  of 
new  uses  for  petroleum  are  originated  almost  daily, 
and  substitutes  are  consequently  becoming  scarce 
and  costly.  The  business  will  advance  in  impor- 
tance for  many  years,  and  much  of  the  permanent 
prosperity  of  West  Virginia,  as  well  as  of  other 
States,  will  result,  directly  or  indirectly,  from  the 
developments  now  in  their  incipiency. 

The  expensive  schooling  of  experience  —  the  mis- 
takes in  locating  and  boring  wells,  in  construction 
of  fixtures  and  machinery,  and  in  misconceptions 
through  false  theories  —  will  facilitate  and  cheapen 
future ,  operations,  and  render  success  far  more  cer- 
tain. The  errors  in  management  of  companies,  and 
even  the  swindles  perpetrated  by  the  dishonest,  will 
all  prove  beacons  to  warn  against  the  dangers  of  the 
past.  The  cost  of  labor  is  in  process  of  reduction, 
and  the  price  of  tubing  tools  and  machinery.  Every 
new  business  involves  a  laborious  and  costly  appren- 
ticeship ;  this  is  no  exception,  though  the  enormous 
production  of  such  wells  as  the  Llewellyn  or  Gilfillan 
might  defy  the  losses  of  inexperience  and  folly. 

Fortunately  the  mania  for  buying  u  shares,"  in 
companies  of  which  nothing  was  known,  at  whatever 
prices  cupidity  might  demand,  has  subsided.  The 
legitimate  purchase  of  lands,  positively  valuable  and 


PETROLEUM   PROSPECTS.  269 

promising  great  productiveness,  by  parties  intending 
either  to  develope  or  hold  for  further  action,  is  not 
likely  soon  to  cease,  unless  prices  should  be  rapidly 
and  generally  enhanced  to  a  much  higher  point  than 
at  present.  Judicious  investments  are  constantly 
made,  and  will  yet  be  found  in  the  petroleum  sec- 
tions of  the  State. 

To  those  seeking  such  investments,  the  following 
advice  is  appropriate :  Seek  lands  with  good  titles, 
not  too  remote  from  railroad  or  navigable  stream ; 
give  personal  attention  to  development,  individually, 
or  in  small  partnerships  of  reliable  men,  or  small 
companies  originated  for  work  rather  than  specula- 
tion ;  work  economically,  as  in  any  other  business 
enterprise,  and  quietly  persevere,  overcoming  all 
obstacles,  and  securing  a  gratifying  success,  which 
will  prove  equally  sure  and  full,  when  followed  with 
such  judgment  and  tact  as  that  which  attends  the 
average  of  business  enterprises.  Investments  in 
large  companies  may  prove  equally  profitable,  when 
fairly  constituted  and  properly  managed.  An  ac- 
quaintance with  the  officers  and  property  basis  of 
such  companies  should  precede  investment. 

The  following  conclusions,  relative  to  the  oil 
region  of  West  Virginia,  may  be  safely  reached  : 

That  oil  production  is  in  its  infancy,  and  the  daily 
product  small  in  comparison  with  the  future  of  the 
enterprise. 

That  the  oil  region  of  "West  Virginia  embraces  a 
much  wider  area  than  that  of  Pennsylvania. 

That  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  hitherto 
undeveloped,  promises  as  rich  rewards  to  oil  enter- 
prise as  any  other. 


270  WEST   VIKGINIA. 

That  the  business  will  prove  a  permanent  and 
highly  productive  element  of  the  industry  of  the 
State. 

The  value  of  this  and  other  interests  of  "West 
Virginia  is  prominently  shown  in  the  enhanced 
prices  at  which  lands  are  held  and  sold,  amounting 
to  an  aggregate  appreciation,  within  a  single  year, 
to  tens  of  millions  of  dollars.  Nor  has  the  average 
valuation  attained  a  point  above  its  intrinsic  worth. 
Except  in  a  few  instances  of  wild  investment  in 
untested  petroleum  lands,  the  price  is  still  rising, 
and  will  continue  to  increase.  Judicious  investors 
will  still  secure  a  good  advance  and  large  profits. 

The  coal,  iron,  salt,  and  other  minerals ;  the  dense 
virgin  forests,  of  almost  all  the  woods  wrought  by 
manufacturers,  or  indigenous  to  .North  America ;  the 
fruitful  soil  and  genial  climate,  so  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  most  profitable  branches  of  agriculture  and 
horticulture ;  all  will  conspire  wTith .  petroleum  to 
draw  from  other  States,  and  from  'beyond  the  sea, 
population  and  capital,  and  to  give  to  labor  abun- 
dance, and  ultimately  clothe  the  land  with  beauty, 
and  bless  it  with  the  adornments  of  taste  and  art. 
"With  the  added  influence  of  churches  and  schools, 
rendering  the  moral  atmosphere  as  pure  as  the  phys- 
ical, and  making  "the  waters  of  life"  as  free  as  the 
perennial  springs  of  the  everlasting  hills,  the  homes 
of  West  Virginia  may  equal  in  attraction  the  most 
favored  upon  the  continent. 


INDEX 


A. 

ADMISSION  into  the  Union  .  .  .     Page  12 

Agricultural  College,    ....  22 

Altitude,    ......  55 

Anticlinal  Axes,  .  .  .  .  193, 196 

Asphaltum  Lode,   .....     197,  232 

B. 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,         .             .             .  152 

Barbour  County,           .             .             .             .  134 

Berkeley  County,   .....  70 

Sir  William,  on  Schools,         .             .  86 

Springs,  .                           .             .             .  71 

"Blue-laws"  of  Virginia,         ...  28 

Boone  County,        .....  124 

Boring,  Site  for,           ....  204 

Braxton  County,    .....  139 

Brooke  County,             ....  97 

Bull  Creek,             .....  235 

Burning  Spring,  ....  183, 222 

11                     Washington's,      .             .             .  179 

C. 

Cabel  County,               ....  125 

Calhoun  County,    .....  137 

California,         ..            .              .             .             .  230 

Caudy  Castle,         .....  73 

Central  Counties,          .             .              .             .  128 

Central  Oil  Region,             ....  237 

Central  Railroad,          .             .              .             .  159 

Clay  County,           .             .             .             .              .  141 

Climate,            .....  54 

Coal,                        .....  162 

Copper,             .  174 

Corporations,  Law  Relative  to,        .              .             .  19 

Covington  and  Ohio  Railroad,               .             .  158 

(271) 


272  INDEX. 

Cow  Creek,      .                                      .  236 

D. 

"  Devil's  Garden,"               ....  76 

Doddridge  County,       ....  136 

Drilling  Machine,  Atwood's,            .             .             .  217 

E. 

Emigration,  Reasons  for,           ...  25 

F. 

Fayette  County,      .             .             .             .             .  117 

Fertility  of  Soil,           ....  45 

Finances,    ......  20 

Flowing  wells,               ....  204 

G. 

Gas  Springs,  Value  of,                      .             .             .  200 

Gilmer  County,             ....  138 

Great  Kanawha  Oil  Basin,              .             .             .  243 

Greenbrier  County,       .              .              .             .  115 

H. 

Hampshire  County,             ....  72 

Hancock  County,          ....  100 

Hanging  .Rocks,      .....  74 

Hardy  County,               ....  75 

Harrison  County,  .....  135 

Hempfield  Railway,      .             .             .             .  158 

Horseneck,              .....  234 

Hughes'  River,             ....  229 


Ice  Mountain,         .....  72 

Incorporation,                ....  19 

Indian  Mound  on  Grave  Creek,      ...  89 

Internal  Improvements,             .             .             .  148 

Iron,           ......  168 

J. 

Jackson  County,     .....  105 

Jealousies,  Sectional,    ....  9 

Jefferson  County,   .....  70 

Judicial  System,           ....  14 


IXDEX.  273 

K. 

Kanawha  County, .....  118 

Kanawha  Valley,          ....  112 

L. 

Land  Rights,          .....  29 

Lands,  Enhanced  Value  of,      ...             .  42 

Laws,         ......  17 

Lead,   ......  173 

Legislature,             .....  13 

Lewis  County,               ....  136 

Limestone,               .              .              .              .              .  171 

Little  Kanawha  and  Elk  River  Petroleum  Company,    .       250 

Live  Stock,  Statistics  of,    .             .             .             .  146 

Logan  County,              ....  126 

Location  of  West  Virginia,             ...  89 

M. 

Marion  County,            ....  133 

Marshall  County,   .....  88 

Mason  County,              .             .             .             .  119 

McDowell  County,              .             .             .             .  126 

Mercer  County,             ....  115 

Mineral  Waters,     .              .             .             .              .  174 

Mineral  Wealth,           ....  160 

Monongalia  County,            .             .             .             .  133 

Monroe  County,            .             .             .             .  115 

Morgan  County,     .....  71 

Mountain  Group,          ....  79 

N. 

Navigation,  Slackwater,     ....  151 

New  York  Petroleum  Companies,          .             .  263 

Nicholas  County,   .                                       .             .  140 

0. 

Ohio  County,          .....  90 

"Oil  Belt," 194 

Oil  Run,    ......  231 

Oil-wells,  Characteristics  of,     .              .              .  203 

Organization  of  the  State,               .             ,             .  11 


274  INDEX. 

p. 

"Panhandle,"         .....  87 

Parkersburg,   .....  106 

Pendleton  County,              ....  74 

Petroleum,       .              .              .              .              .  176 

Boring  for,        .             .             .             .  213 

"         Companies,                .              .              .  250 

"         Distribution  of,               .             .              .  177 

"         in  Salt  Springs,        ...  180 

"         Its  Discovery  in  West  Virginia,              .  ]^'-l 

"         Origin  of,    .              .             .              .  185 

"         Prospects,          ....  265 

"         Refining  of,              .             .             .  218 

"         Statistics  of,                    .             .             .  211 

"         Uses  of,                   .             .            .  206 

"         Where  to  Find,               ...  192 

Philadelphia  Petroleum  Companies,      .             .  260 

Pioneers,  Domestic  Implements  of,               .             .  32 

"         Wedding  Customs  of,             .             .  33 

Pioneer  life,            .....  30 

Pocahontas  County,      ....  81 

Political  Convulsion,           .             .             .             .  7 

Population,       .....  24 

"          Table  of,  .... 

Preston  County,            ....  82 

Production,  Statistics  of,                  ...  142 

Putnam  County,            .              .             .             .  119 

R. 

Railroads,  .             .             .             .             .             .  152 

Rain-fall, 61 

Raleigh  County,     .              .             .             .             .  117 

Randolph  County,         ....  81 

Retrurgitory  Spring,            ....  76 

Ritchie  County,            ....  136 

River  Counties,      .....  101 

Roane  County,              ....  138 

S. 

Salt,  Kanawha,       .             .             .             .             .  170 

"      Mason  County,     .              .              .             .  171 

Salubrity,  ....  .62 

Sand-rocks,      .....  199 


INDEX.  275 

Scenery,     .              .             .             .                           .  64 

School  System,             ....  17 

Settlement,              .              .             .             .             .  23 

Settlers  of  West  Virginia,        ...  9 

Sheep  Husbandry, .....  44,  98 

Shenandoah  Valley,     ....  68 

Slavery,  Abolition  of,          ...              .             .  12 

Soldiers  of  West  Virginia,       ...  21 

Southern  Counties,              .             .  '           .             .  123 

Standing-stone  Creek,                ...  226 

Statistics  of  Kanawha  Valley,         .              .             .  121 

Statistics  of  Production,           .              .             .  142 

State  Officers,         .              .             .             .             .  16 

State  Seal,        .....  15 

Steamboat  Navigation,        ....  151 

Stock  Farming,             ....  43 

T. 

Table  of  Farm  Products,    ....  148 

Taylor  County,              .              .             .             .  133 

Tea-table  Rock,      .....  74 

Temperature,  ......  58 

Tucker  County,      .              .             .                           .  82 

Turnpikes,        .             .              .             .             .  150 

Tyler  County,         .....  105 

U. 

Upshur  County,      .....  140 

V. 

Value  of  Farms,    .....  41 

Vesta  Petroleum  and  Refining  Company,          .  257 
Virginia  and  Ohio  Mining  and  Petroleum 

Company,    .....  255 

Vineyards,        .....  91 

W. 

Washington's  Lands,           ....  44 

Wayne  County,              ....  125 

Webster  County,    .....  140 

Weddings  of  Early  Days,         ...  33 

West  Virginia,  Abolition  of  Slavery  in,                   .  12 

"         Admission  of,  .              .              .  12 

u            "         Agricultural  College,           .  22 


276 


INDEX. 


West  Virginia,   Climate  of,     .             .             .  54 

"Blue  Laws"  of,              .  28 

Compared  with  New  Hampshire,  .                51 
"            "                   "           "     Minnesota  and 

Maryland,  .               54 
"            "                   "           «     Ohio  and  Penn- 
sylvania, .  .               53 

"            "          Corporation  Laws  of,        .  .               19 

"            "          Emigration  from,        .             .  25 

"            "           Fertility  of,                         .  .                35 

"            "          Finances  of,  .             .              .  20 

"            "          Judicial  System  of,           .  .               14 

"            "          Kanawha  Valley  in,  .              .  112 

"            "          Land  Rights,        ...  29 

"            "          Laws  of,         ...  17 

"            "          Legislation  of,      .              .  .                13 

Location  of,  .              .              .  39 

Mountain  Counties  of,      .  .                79 

Organization  of,                       .  11 

"Panhandle,"      .  .               87 

Population  of,             .             .  24 

River  Counties  of,            .  .             101 

Scenery  of,     .              .              .  64 

School  System  of,             .  .               17 

Settlement  of,              .              .  23 

Sheep  Husbandry  in,        .  .                98 

Soldiers  of,    ...  21 

Southern  Counties  of,        .  .              123 

State  Officers  of,         .              .  16 

"     Seal  of,         ...  15 

Stock  Farming  in,      .              .  43 

Value  of  Farms  in,           .  .                41 

Vineyards  of,              .              .  91 

Washington's  Lands  in,    .  .                44 

Wetzel  County,             ....  105 

Wheeling, .             .             .             .             .  .               93 

White  Sulphur  Springs,            .              .              .  116 

Wirt  County,          .....  137 

Wood  County,             ...  105 

Wyoming    County,              ....  126 


THE     END. 


